Sundara Karma, Ulfilas' Alphabet, Album Review


Sundara Karma
Ulfilas' Alphabet
Album Review


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What could quite possibly be two of the best albums of the year so far came out this Friday just gone. One of which was the phenomenal step forward for Little Simz in the form of GREY Area and the other being this album. But while I have been aware of Little Simz and her music for quite some time, this band is far more of a newfound artist that I have spontaneously and rapidly learned to adore.

While the name "Sundara Karma" has been swimming around in my life for a fair while, the closed minded and naive side of myself would register this group as just another indie band. But that was until I came across the music video for one of this albums teaser track "Higher States" which quickly became one of my favourite tracks of last month (technically it came out at the very end of January but I digress).

And with that, I discovered a more recent teaser single the following morning, "Little Smart Houses" which was nearly equally good. After that, my anticipation for this new album; Ulfilas' Alphabet quickly grew.

When it was finally time to listen to the album as a whole, I noticed that the first few tracks especially displayed a very Bowie-esque vocal style. For instance, the very first track "A Song For My Future Self" feels like it has come straight out the early days of David Bowies discography and with this connection made, this track set me up to be in good spirits for the entire album. Not to say that this was essential in order to enjoy the album as it clearly holds its own as a fabulous piece.

The overall flamboyance of the band and this album blew my assumption of them being a regular indie band out of the water and instead had me hooked on their quirky and fluid aesthetic.

And with a 54 runtime consisting of 13 tracks, this album offers a generous helping of musical enjoyment and a large chunk of these tracks I enjoy a tonne. To accompany all of the tracks I have previously mentioned, the tracks I love include the jolly sounding "Greenhands" which makes for perfect Springtime listening, the quirky and catchy "Symbols Of Joy & Eternity", the indulgent and magical "Illusions", the marvellously progressive "Sweet Intentions", the fast-paced and energetic "Rainbow Body" and finally the albums epic title track.

There are however a few tracks that come off a little repetitive, but that doesn't stop this album nearly enough from being a year-defining staple in my eyes.

Ulfilas' Alphabet is an album that feels very in-tune with very modern aesthetics and cultures, and with that I really hope it does well as it is nothing short of a fine peace that will make up a big area of my 2019 soundtrack.


Thank you for reading.

Booth Boy

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