Sundara Karma | |
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![]() Sundara Karma playing Hippodrome, Kingston Upon Thames in 2015 | |
Background information | |
Origin | Reading, Berkshire, England |
Genres | Indie pop, alternative rock, indie rock |
Years active |
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Labels | Is Right Records, Chess Club/RCA |
Past members |
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Website | www |
Sundara Karma were an English rock band formed in 2011 in Reading, Berkshire. [1] The band consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Oscar Pollock, lead guitarist Ally Baty, bassist Dom Cordell and drummer Haydn Evans. [2] [3] The band's name is derived from Sanskrit words, meaning "Beautiful Karma". [4]
Sundara Karma was formed in 2011 when its members were teenagers attending secondary school. [5] [6] In 2013, after uploading an early demo to SoundCloud, the band was offered the opportunity to be the opening support act for several prominent artists. [7] [8] Over the next three years, the band embarked on extensive tours across the United Kingdom and Europe, while also releasing music that would later be included on their debut album, Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect . [9] [10] [11]
In January 2017, Sundara Karma released their debut album titled Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect via Sony Music and Chess Club. [12] [13] It peaked at number 24 on the UK Albums Chart and received Silver Certification from British Phonographic Industry. [14] [15] In May 2017, they announced an upgrade to their debut album via social media, adding the tracks "Explore", "Lakhey", and "Another Word For Beautiful" to the original track listing. [16] [17] [18] [19]
On 1 March 2019, Sundara Karma released their second studio album, Ulfilas' Alphabet , under RCA Records. Ulfilas' Alphabet was produced by Stuart Price and Alex Robertshaw. [20] The album peaked at number 28 on the UK Albums Chart. [21] Ulfilas' Alphabet received positive reviews from The Guardian , NME , Dork , DIY and others. [20] [22]
In May 2020, the band shared three singles titled "Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday", "Invade Safe Space" and "Vision Sick" via SoundCloud. These were unreleased songs from the recording of their 2019 album Ulfilas’ Alphabet. [23]
On 1 October 2020, Sundara Karma released their single "Kill Me" via Chess Club Records. [24]
On 24 October 2020, they released their EP "Kill Me" consisting of 5 songs, including the song of the same name released at the start of the month.
On 17 September 2021, nearly a year after their fourth EP, the band premiered the single "Godsend". In February 2022, it was followed by the release of the title track off their fifth EP, Oblivion! . The EP was released on 1 April 2022. [25]
On 27 October 2023, the band released Better Luck Next Time , the group's first studio album in over four years. The album has been described as a "departure of sound compared to the electro-pop elements" present on Oblivion. [26] The album received positive reviews from DIY and Dork . [27] [28] Better Luck Next Time peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart, making it the band's first top 20 album in the UK. [29]
On 23 September 2024, the band announced that they would "step away from making music as Sundara Karma", [30] and the following day announced Live for the Last Time, a series of four farewell concerts. [31] The band split following their final concert on 8 December 2024 at O2 Forum Kentish Town. [32]
Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
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UK [21] | |||
Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect |
| 24 | |
Ulfilas' Alphabet |
| 28 | |
Better Luck Next Time | - |
Title | Details |
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EP I |
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EP II |
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Loveblood |
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Kill Me |
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Oblivion! |
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Title | Year | Certifications | Album/EP |
---|---|---|---|
"Cold Heaven" [37] | 2014 | Non-album singles | |
"Indigo Puff" [38] | |||
"Loveblood" [39] | 2015 | EP I | |
"Flame" [40] |
| Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect | |
"Vivienne" [41] | EP II | ||
"A Young Understanding" [42] | 2016 | Youth Is Only Ever Fun in Retrospect | |
"She Said" [43] |
| ||
"Olympia" [44] | |||
"Happy Family" [45] | |||
"Explore" [46] | 2017 | Non-album single | |
"Illusions" [47] | 2018 | Ulfilas’ Alphabet | |
"One Last Night on This Earth" [48] | |||
"The Changeover" [49] | |||
"Higher States" [50] | 2019 | ||
"Little Smart Houses" [51] | |||
"Today, Tomorrow, Yesterday" [23] | 2020 | Non-album singles | |
"Invade Safe Space" [23] | |||
"Vision Sick" [23] | |||
"Kill Me" [24] | Kill Me | ||
"Godsend" | 2021 | Oblivion! | |
"Oblivion!" [25] | 2022 | ||
"All These Dreams" [52] | |||
"Friends of Mine" [53] | 2023 | Better Luck Next Time | |
"Baby Blue" [54] | |||
"Wishing Well" | |||