Taken from their forthcoming debut self-titled EP, Parasocials is the first single from new quartet The Parasocials, aka lo-fi indie jazz artist Tomer Krail, roguish punk-folk singer George Calne Jones, charming indie softboi Felix Slander and miracle drummer Rob James. Settling into writing over lockdown, Karmatose reflects on the bands recent penchant (to the point of overdosing) of Buddhist philosophical writings.
Of the single, the band told us “Karmatose was one of those instrumental ideas that’d been kicking around in my head for a while now, I sat down with Felix to work on some lyrics and he suggested ‘Karmatose’ as a title, a sort of malapropism which I took to mean when you’ve OD’d on zen teachings to the point that you can’t really react to your environment anymore. You’ve been Karmatosed!”
Dealing in lo-fi indie funk with a touch of blue eyed soul and a nod towards prog pop. These spidery guitar lines strum and wander into your conscious as the bassline keeps things pushing forwards. All things pull together in the chorus which becomes a singalong affair. To keep you on your toes, things break down into a jazzy wash, before the funk fires back into things and leads to this final stalling finish.
My god its good. Check it out, here
Parasocials hail from a union of The band sprang-up over lockdown in a frenzy of writing, offering a diverse, shambolic journey through an array of grunge, post-punk spikiness, discordant, angular arrangements and harmonious lounge lizard charm. The band dip into influences from such a broad-spectrum of genres from, Car Seat Headrest, Moor Mother, Richard Dawson, Arctic Monkeys, John Coltrane, Theolonius Monk, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen to Talking Heads.
Parasocials release their debut single, Karmatose, the first from the Parasocials EP,out April 30. The track is produced by Ed West (D.R.E., Zara McFarlane) and Joe Henwood (Nubiyan Twist) at Henwood Studios in Deptford, South East London.
Karmatose delivers a fusion of new wave lo-fi jazz inflected pop tones, brimming with soul and funk elements arranged around flawless yet tantalising harmonies. A sparkling spaced-out rhythm brings a hint of new romanticism, as they reflect on a recent penchant for and overdose of Buddhist philosophical writings.
