Every year, the indie genre brings us one band (typically a quartet of young lads who all visit the same barber for a trim every two years). This band shatter expectations and soon everybody is talking about “the road ahead”. Ladies and gents, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’, the debut album by Sundara Karma.
The album opens with a tale of precocious youth in the form of ‘A Young Understanding’. It’s just one huge, loud cliche that paints a picture of an unrelenting, unapologetic journey through your young life. What kind of indie band would Sundara Karma be if they didn’t have at least ONE song about growing up? (Lucky for us, that’s basically the synopsis of the entire album.) “You’re terrified by the open road / in a daze, you’ve lost control,” yeah, that sounds about right.
Throughout the album, Sundara Karma make you feel this incomprehensible nostalgia. She Said is the soundtrack to my memories of many a night on the town, confused about latest conquests and what the hell is going on. The song has this really dismissal vibe, like it’s saying “just f*** it, enjoy yourself”.
To round things off, we have ‘The Night’ (known pre-album as ‘In The Night’. It’s an ode to the cloak of night-time (I’d recommend listening to this album late at night – it’s a whole different vibe!) and gives the perfect closure to the evocative trip Sundara Karma take us on.
Some tunes on the album are definitely ‘growers not showers’ but it’s one I’ll be keeping close throughout 2017. Sundara Karma go on tour in February and it promises to be a big one. For dates and tickets, visit their website here.
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