Indianapolis band traverses post-punk, shoegaze, psych & dream pop on mesmerizing debut
The amazingly named Karate, Guns & Tanning is a brand new band from Indianapolis that crafts a witchy elixir of post-punk, shoegaze, new wave and a myriad of other impulses. They’ve made a strong impression on their genre-spanning first few tracks “Graffiti Children,” “Fire,” “Artifact,” and “Breaking Teeth,” and now today they’re unveiling their impressive debut album Concrete Beach.
Concrete Beach continues to push the boundaries of Karate, Guns & Tanning’s highly visual and kaleidoscopic sound. There are moments of riot grrrl-inflected DIY punk mixed with more gothic synth and dream pop textures, as well as touches of charging, desert-crusted psych rock. “Badlands” features hypnotic, unwinding post-punk guitars chugging alongside ominous synths, with anthemic vocals from lead singer Valerie Green. And then there’s the effervescent dream pop stunner “Clockwork,” whose gazy, noodling guitars and flickering percussion give the track a heavy dose of ’80s new wave dance floor magic. The industrial-tinged “Roman Candles” brings the dissonant warehouse strobe light energy before fading into the catchy fight song “Hot Bots,” which brings the album to a whirring, defiant close.
From start to finish, Concrete Beach is a noisy, psychedelic gothic thriller that cements Karate, Guns & Tanning as a band to watch. The album is out today along with a hallucinatory visual album courtesy of L.A. surrealist/motion designer Andrew Knives. You can purchase the LP HERE and watch the visual album below.
