Sundara Karma, Artifice
Chess Club
The next taste of what’s next from artpop-indie titans Sundara Karma has arrived, and (as with any Sunny K release) it’s like nothing you’ve ever heard before. Artifice takes the anthemic clout that comeback single Kill Me boasted, turns the saturation up, and flips it on its head for a tune that’s left-field dreamy and dark. It comes with the announcement of an upcoming EP titled Kill Me, and it confirms that no, Sundara Karma aren’t going back to their roots, but surging into futuristic realms brighter than ever.
Where lead single Kill Me was an addictive shot of the kind of shimmering indie tune Sundara Karma garnered their adoring fanbase for way back in the days of their debut EPs, Artifice is the promise that there’s even more airy experimentation to come. It’s more than just in the vein of their previous record Ulfilas’ Alphabet, which pushed the Sunny K boundaries into the realm of theatrical dance pop – Artifice is fully-fledged electro-psych pop, pulled off to the kind of perfection we know to expect from the Reading outfit.
The soundscape they craft is as detailed and intricate as it is alluring: gleaming, wavering vocal lines that don’t lead the instrumental, more nestle amongst it and guide our ears towards the key sparkles. Oscar Pollock’s voice feels like an instrument itself, wandering with barely-discernible-yet-poetic lyrics around a world of Flume-esque flickers and pryzmic pyrotechnics of synth and echo. Artifice is a listening experience to lose yourself in.
Artifice simply radiates light. Possibly the most impressive Sundara Karma track to date, the band have put together an absolute masterclass in sound, both ethereal and punchy, and absolutely enthralling.
Kill Me is out November 24th.
