Distant Karma is a band who represents unity: of styles, of emotions, in peace, in life. These are only a few of the aspects that you will find on their debut EP Never Lost, Always Found.
Their values include spirituality, freedom, and ultimate creativity - aspects that are rooted in the genres of reggae, dub, soul, and psychedelic-rock. You can hear all of these sounds flutter through Distant Karma’s music, where the limitless melting pot of peace and love lives. It makes for an exhibition of simultaneous energy and peace in a musically-entrancing format.
The music kicks in with what was the band’s first single - “All I Wanna Do”. I had previously described the song as beautiful and hypnotic as well as ‘appealing to the original bohemians’. But at its simplest, the song is captivating and represents the band’s melting pot of influences that naturally come through in their sound. The track has a very predominant reggae influence, but there are also touches of rock throughout - like in the guitar solo that still takes me by surprise in the best of ways, even though I have heard the song several times. Yet, it still fits the track without being out of place.
What stands out, perhaps, almost instantly is Khatima Lamani’s voice. Just an amazing powerhouse of a voice that still complements the ‘chill’ instrumental.
Second track “Freedom Fighter” was also released as a single. It is a song that is “dedicated to all of our fellow fighters working towards inner peace and freedom”. It is a beautiful uplifting song. I love it when a genre like this creates such a cheerful mood - and it still has a message musically. Sameer Khan’s guitar solo on this track just perfects the song. This battle cry of peace and love should not go unnoticed and it just sounds lovely.
“Lost in You” is the title track. I love the vibes from the very beginning. It instantly creates a peaceful, beautiful emotion that oozes from the music. Khatima’s vocals are exhibited majestically here - beautiful and with shifting emotion. While the tone of the track is cheerful, the lyrics tell a conflicted but honest story of perception that wraps around your mind in a mantra-like trance. It is a beautiful jam track and just makes your heart ache in a way that only music can. With a sizzling guitar solo in the second half of the song, it remains the strongest track in my ears and one that I keep coming back to just to listen again and again to such a wonderful mantra of music.
“Free Dub” and “Baby Dub” are the final tracks on the EP. Reusing some of the same vocals from “All I Wanna Do” and “Freedom Fighter”, it allows for some of the same lyrics to be displayed in another universe.
Yet, “Free Dub” still has a good deal of improvisation. The groove of the bass guitar is awesome. Oscar Seward’s production on the track (and the rest of the EP) has not gone unnoticed; the overall tone on a track like this is so lovely and creates such a relaxing vibe that you can just practically sink into. Its beautiful melodies wrap weaves around your mind, and the hypnosis is a wonderful addiction of flourishing reggae-rock.
Where “Free Dub” had similar lyrics to “Freedom Fighter”, the last track “Baby Dub” reuses more lyrics from “All I Wanna Do”. Again, the groove on this track is out of the world. The delightful vibes of the opening track are something that continue to grow throughout the timespan of the EP, and it is just wonderful to sit back and listen. It seems truly fitting that this EP was released in late June as it carries a summer vibe that would just simply not have the same impact if it was released in winter.
And this summery vibe is, perhaps, what first drew me to Distant Karma’s music, and if you are looking for summer vibes, you can certainly find them here. For an EP that has been 10 years in the making, I am so delighted with what Distant Karma has created. The band’s friendship has created such a beautiful tapestry of reggae and rock, of love-conflicted odes, of peace and fight songs. Oftentimes when a band has such a strong force of connection amongst its members, you can hear it. And I can certainly hear it here on Never Lost, Always Found. I have stuck around with the band since they first released “All I Wanna Do” as their first single in late 2020 when I had no idea that they would eventually release an EP. And the end result is a beautiful melting pot of styles that create such a strong, peaceful vibe that is difficult to find anywhere else. So, if you really want to finally feel like summer is upon us or you just want the sort of music that you can have on in the background to lift up your mood, Distant Karma is your band. I am almost certain that this will be my summer soundtrack, and if you give it a listen, perhaps, it will also be your perfect soundtrack of a summertime of peace and love, happy times, and delight.
Hear the album here Never Lost, Always Found EP | Distant Karma (bandcamp.com)
PERSONNEL:
All music & lyrics written by Distant Karma (except where noted otherwise)
SAMEER KHAN: guitar - lead, rhythm, electric; keyboards & production assistant on “Free Dub”; bass guitar and production assistant on “Baby Dub”
KHATIMA LAMANI - lead, harmony & backing vocals; lyricist on tracks “Freedom Fighter” and “Lost in You”
OSCAR SEWARD - arranger, composer, mastering engineer, mixing engineer, producer, sound engineer
IGNACIO FERNANDEZ CACHO - bass guitar on “Freedom Fighter”, “Lost in You”
MATT VINCENT - cover artwork
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