With a new single out, a new album forthcoming, and a new member in the band, it seemed like the perfect time to sit down with the guys from It’s Karma It’s Cool to find out all about these new and exciting developments.
So, a lot has been happening in the It’s Karma It’s Cool world since we last caught up—a new album on the way, a new face at the drumkit, it sounds like you have been busy.
Jim: Yeah, we’ve been locked away writing and recording our new album, ‘One Million Suburban Sunsets.’ We stepped away from playing live to focus on the new record. We’re very happy with how things have turned out, there’s some big songs on there. And we have a new drummer with us, Adam Jolivel-Perkins, who we’re very happy to have in the band, things have worked out great.
I’ve been giving “Crashability” plenty of spins, a great single, a cool performance video, a spoken word section, and a first taste of the new album. Tell me all about it.
Jim: Thank you, Dave. It’s the first single from the album and the first song on the album. We never deliberately write singles as such; we just write a bunch of songs, and “Crashability” seemed perfect to open the record and let people hear what we’ve been up to; it’s kind of a mission statement for the whole album. I’m sure it’ll surprise a few people, and that’s good, that’s what we want with these new songs. We’ve never been about repeating ourselves; we felt it was time to put away the acoustic guitars and turn the amps up. And we got Steven Haddock to do the video for us; he’s worked with some very cool bands and has done a great job.
And you have described the album that it is from, One Million Suburban Sunsets, as your “guitar album.” Would you care to elaborate?
Jim: The guitars are loud and in your face on this one. The album has focus, drive, and a whole load of attitude. It’s almost the punk rock ethos; we’re all in this together. There’s an anthemic quality running throughout the album, and the songs are about living and trying to survive in this modern world, whatever that means. There are some dark moments for sure, but positivity and hope also.
Recording for grassroots bands can be a financial and logistical strain. How was the process for you, and do you ever feel that you have to compromise on your sound because of budget or time considerations?
Martyn: Yes, usually that is a massive concern and strain for grassroots bands, which I know very well because I run a recording studio! (Playing Aloud, Lincoln) Thankfully for us that means that no, we don’t have any issues with financing the records, as I do it because I need and want to make the music. 9 times out of 10, I do our IKIC recording, writing, mixing etc in my downtime at the studio.
When I’ve got a couple of hours at the end of a long day at the studio seems to be when the most creativity comes out of me, and I’d hazard a guess that 75% of IKIC’s music that I’ve written has been written between 10-11 pm. Logistics can prove slightly problematic sometimes, it’s amazing how hard it can be to get four people with different life and work schedules in a room at once, and because of that we tend to do a lot in pairs, me and Mikey will have a creative evening bouncing ideas around, or me and Jim will have a morning and afternoon recording vocals etc.
Lastly, I think I learnt from the last record Thrift Store Troubadours that we should never rush anything, I feel like I was in a production and songwriting transitional stage while that record was being made, and if I’d waited it out a little bit until I was a little more settled, then I’d have been happier with the overall result. It’s still a great album, though.
A few other singles will come before we get the complete works. Can you tell me something about what you have in store with them?
Mikey: For the next couple of singles, we’ve selected songs that we feel best encapsulate the character of the new album, as well as the shared drive and desire of us as a team during the process of creating them. All four of us set up for the writing and Recording of the new album, wanting to deliver big, anthemic songs that hit harder and cut deeper than anything we’ve released previously. There was a real singular focus there, right from the get-go, and it felt great. It FEELS great.
The second single will be the title track, “One Million Suburban Sunsets”, and you can expect lashings of melodic guitar, a tight, punchy rhythm section and big choruses. Always big choruses.
And it’s a hello to Adam, who takes up the vacant drum stool. Adam, what was it about IKIC that made you realize that this was the band for you?
Adam: I’d secretly wanted to join the band for a long time! With each album release, and with witnessing their unique live performances, I was desperate to join and was unaware for some time that they were without a drummer. Over a game of cards with Mikey and Martyn, we kind of stumbled on the conversation with both asking if I’d join – ‘of course!’. Jim’s sincere lyrics and incredible vocal tones, combined with Mikey and Martyn’s carefully crafted songs, caught my attention long before I had the honour to join them on stage.
Has the new lineup of the band been gig-tested yet? And if so, how did it go?
Jim: We played a few shows to get Adam settled in, The Cavern Club in Liverpool wasn’t a bad start! And we supported the brilliant Alabama 3, here in Lincoln. Adam just fits in perfectly, as if he’s been with us from the start. A great drummer and a nice guy. And he hits them hard.
Are there plans to take these new songs out live, and if so, what are the familiar haunts and new venues that you are looking forward to playing in?
Jim: At some point over the coming months we’ll be playing live again, these new songs have been written to play to people, so expect to hear them. We’ll announce dates later in the year, so please stay tuned. And I’m sure there’ll be an album launch in our home city of Lincoln, the Lincoln Karma Army are brilliant people and they always make it a special night.
In general, what does the future look like for IKIC?
The future looks like we have a new album coming out that we’re all really proud of. The band’s sounding the strongest and tightest it ever has and we’ve written some of our best songs. We’re excited for people to hear the record and to get out there and play it for them.
There’ll be a number of digital singles released, initially from our Bandcamp, then available more widely from the usual digital stores, with the full album to follow later in the year.
As always, it’s been a pleasure talking to you guys, best of luck with everything you do, and until next time, take care.
Photo Credits, Steven Haddock and Beki Doig
