Album Review

The Karma Party – Dark Matters

• 14th Mar 2013

As soon as you read the first line of the bio for The Karma Party you get a real sense of where this band lies. ‘Rising out of the dingy, boarded up holiday underworld that is Blackpool.’ It points in a direction of cynicism and social awareness to values that this band infuse into their debut five track EP ‘Dark Matters’.

‘Dark Matters’ opens with the track ‘This is Britain’ an attack on apparent British values. Everything from the Queen and Government, to X Factor and Orange tans is criticised, backed by Punk guitar riffs and a laid back electronic bridge. It’s expected for a punk band like The Karma Party to have at least one loud and in your face track and this is it. It leads really nicely into the next track ‘Collapse’, this time much more awash with electronic samples and a faster tempo to boot. With a catchy sing along chorus and nice melodies this is a track with a lot more energy and it’s the kind you can imagine being a crowd favourite. The third track ‘Push Forward’ shows the monotony of a working life in the UK. It opens with a great oriental sample which gets laid underneath a powerful Punk rhythm which doesn’t let up throughout the four minuet track. ‘They Tell Me’ has a different vibe than the other tracks on this EP and kind of takes you by surprise. It has a darker element enforced by the Dub bass and the Classical piano and violin, it is enhanced by the laid back vocals, which isn’t what you’ve come to expect from this band. As it builds so does the presence of the band, with heavy guitars and forceful drumming bringing this track to a close. The final track ‘The Opposition’ breaks straight into a Punk blast beat to finish the EP off with a bang. More upbeat with its melodies and samples this track feels more like a punk track than the rest.

It’s an interesting EP, but if you were expecting dubstep you’ll be sorely disappointed. With heavy electro influences on this EP rather than dubstep it shouldn’t be billed as such. If anything this is punk with samples. It’s a good British EP and it shows the potential for The Karma Party to be a real force in the underground UK Punk scene with the likes Random Hand and Sonic Boom Six.

Venue: Dark Matters
Support Band: Beautiful Life Records