Description
Karen are a trio of Bristol indie royalty, consisting of Davey Woodward, vocals and guitar, Hugo Morgan, bass and Tom Adams on drums. Previously bands include The Brilliant Corners, Secret Shine, Loop, The Heads, The Experimental Pop Band and The Beatnik Filmstars, to name but a few. With that kind of history you know they are going to play indie pop with an edge. Karen released their first single, 'Ocean' b/w 'Invisible Friend', in January 2016, and their debut album in 2022. Louder Than War's Ged Babey said "when I wrote about the Karen EP I noted influences including The Modern Lovers, Teenage Fanclub, The Auteurs, Denim, Bolan and Dylan. Others mentioned Eddie and The Hotrods, Pavement, Slade, Big Star... I can now hear the Mary Chain, The Perfect Disaster, Subway Sect, Blur, a host of the better Britpop bands. It's not that Karen rip-off anyone, they just deal in classic chord-changes and universal but everyday themes and it all comes together beautifully". And now we have the follow-up album, 'Beat Of An Old Tune'. It didn't take four years to record; Davey was busy recording two solo albums and there was poor health in the band that kept Karen from playing live and recording. When the band reconvened, the album was actually recorded in Davey's garage over three days, with the recording and production process being post punk in attitude, keeping the sound instant and raw. This captures the energy and inspiration of the playing and gives the songs a timeless fresh feel. Call it Post Punk, Indie, Power Pop, Rock n Roll, or whatever it is, there are earworms galore on this album.This is Karen!
