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Sundara Karma

U.K. combo Sundara Karma moves between rousing, anthemic guitar rock and bright, shimmering art-pop. The Reading-based band emerged in the mid-2010s with a succession of singles that led to a deal with RCA Records, which issued their 2017 full-length, Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect, earning comparisons to bands like Arcade Fire and the Maccabees. A heavy international touring schedule soon made way for their more experimental 2019 follow-up, Ulfilas' Alphabet, and subsequent EPs Kill Me (2020) and Oblivion! (2022). After trending more toward their pop side, Sundara Karma returned to a more stripped-down guitar-heavy sound on 2023's Better Luck Next Time. Though their name may be of Hindu/Buddhist origin, the band arrived emitting pure waves of pop, beginning with the 2013 single "Freshbloom," followed a year later by "Indigo Puff" and "Cold Heaven." Longtime friends Oscar Pollock (vocals, guitar), Ally Baty (guitar), Dom Cordell (bass), and Haydn Evans soon earned themselves a deal with RCA imprint Chess Club, and after a pair of well-received 2015 EPs, they completed work on their debut album, Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect. The Larry Hibbitt-produced LP was released in January 2017, and the band spent the next year touring to promote it, including support slots for Bastille and Two Door Cinema Club. The tour also featured multiple performances across Europe as well as an appearance at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. After returning home, Sundara Karma got to work writing and recording their sophomore effort. They spent 2018 in the studio and the release -- titled Ulfilas' Alphabet -- arrived in early 2019. An eclectic blend of art-pop and new wave, the LP was produced with Stuart Price (Pet Shop Boys, New Order) and hit number 28 on the U.K. pop charts. The five-song Kill Me EP appeared in late 2020, taking an even more maximalist future pop tone, a trend they continued on 2022's Oblivion!; both were produced by Clarence Clarity. For their next project, Sundara Karma pulled back from their increasingly synth-based sound, offering up a back-to-basics guitar rock album. Released in 2023 by Is Right Records, the band's third full-length, Better Luck Next Time, harked back to the upbeat, rousing Brit-rock of their debut.
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