As they approach the imminent release of their sophomore album on 3rd May, London-based hard rock champions The Karma Effect today release the title track, ‘Promised Land’ through Earache Records.
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Raucous southern rock riffs combine with upbeat arena melodies and frontman Henry Gottelier’s powerhouse vocals on this exuberant ode to escapism through the power of music. It’s at once a rallying cry, a statement of intent and a fists-in-the-air singalong anthem that perfectly sums up what the forthcoming album is all about.
“Overall, ‘Promised Land’ as an album is about escapism, and all of the varying forms of escapism that we as a band, and as individuals, find ourselves indulging in,” Henry explains of the title. “However, the title track itself is more about finding escapism through music. It’s that feeling of the needle dropping on your favourite record and getting completely lost in sound. It was one of those songs where everything just falls into place so naturally.”
Emerging from the UK’s vibrant hard rock scene during the pandemic, The Karma Effect meld the hip-shaking blues rock stylings of contemporaries like The Temperance Movement and Greta Van Fleet, with the keyboard sheen and melodic songwriting of classic stadium rock bands like Foreigner.
‘Promised Land’ offers 10 tracks of raw, hook-laden rock’n’roll positively gleaming with 80s shimmer. Recorded at MRC Studios and The Hive Studios with Michael Charman, the album was built on escapism from start to finish. “When we were creating the album, it felt like we had found our own bubble of utopia – nothing in the outside world mattered in those moments.
That’s exactly what we want to offer anyone who takes the time to listen to the album,” the band elaborate.
‘Promised Land’ is available to pre-order now at earache.com/thekarmaeffect on limited edition vinyl (including signed yellow vinyl), signed CD and more.
In celebration of ‘Promised Land’, the band have also announced an album release party at Westerham Brewery, Kent on 4th May.
The evening will feature a special stripped back live set, a Q&A and signing session with the band, as well as a DJ set from the band’s keyboardist Seb Emmins. Spaces can be reserved via earache.com/launchparty
Self-releasing their debut album in 2022, the band actually released that record before they’d had a chance to properly play live (due to Covid restrictions). However, they’ve been making up for lost time, playing 11 festivals in 2023 alone, including Planet Rock Radio’s Winter’s End and Steelhouse Festival, as well as enjoying sold-out headline shows across the UK and support slots with UK Top 10 artists like Massive Wagons and Scarlet Rebels, as well as transatlantic label mates The Bites, all the while refining a colossal live sound. The result being that the band captured this lightning in a bottle for the set of highly impressive songs on ‘Promised Land’.
Recently signed to legendary independent label Earache Records, the band look set to take the next steps to becoming one of the most exciting names in British Rock. With more new music to come plus a plethora of lives dates as a headliner and in supporting Bad Touch, 2024 looks set to be a huge year for The Karma Effect.
Upcoming Live Dates
Sat 13 Apr – Patterns, Brighton ^
Fri 19 Apr – The Black Prince, Northampton +
Sat 4 May – Westerham Brewery, Kent ~
Sun 26 May – Crazy Cowboy Festival 9, The Facebar, Reading *
Sun 30 Jun – Wildfire Festival, Wanlockhead *
Sat 06 Jul – Oxted Festival, Oxted, Surrey *
Sun 21 Jul – Maid Of Stone Festival, Mote Park, Maidstone *
Fri 09 Aug – FireVolt Festival, Stockport *
Sat 10 Aug – NozFest, The 1865, Southampton *
Sun 25 Aug – Rockwich Festival, Witton Albion Social, Northwich *
Sun 29 Sep – NWOCR Lives Fest, KKs Steel Mill, Wolverhampton *