Sundara Karma - Better Luck Next Time (2023) Hi-Res

U.K. indie combo Sundara Karma emerged in the mid-2010s with a bright, shimmering sound and great expectations. After riding a succession of singles to a deal with RCA Records, the Reading-based band issued their 2017 full-length debut, 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 the subsequent EP 2020's Kill Me. 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 Lulu (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.

Better Luck Next Time is the third studio album by English band Sundara Karma, released on 27 October 2023 through Is Right Records. It was produced by Rich Turvey and preceded by the single "Friends of Mine", "Baby Blue" and "Wishing Well".

Sundara Karma’s third could well act as a rallying cry for 2010s indie kids; a call to fish out those checked trousers and Dr Martens. Between the Reading outfit’s 2017 debut ‘Youth Is Only Ever Fun In Retrospect’ and now, the foursome have tried on many weird and whimsical hats - and impressively, they’ve all fit. Here, they find comfort in the past, standout ‘Wishing Well’ a contemplation on lost lovers and lives. Frontman Oscar Pollock’s introspection crescendos in ‘Violence To The Spirit’, an epic stream of consciousness that he follows with boundless energy. These are, of course, songs written for the live arena, with a playful mastery of dynamic once again on show. Charming and nostalgic - both for the band and long-time listeners - ‘Better Luck Next Time’ is like a hug from a warm blanket. Albeit one that smells faintly of dark fruits cider.