Kaiak – “Kharma Never Dies”
Kaiak – “Kharma Never Dies” – Single Review
A “Swedish Pop/Jazz/Indie duo,” you say. Sign me up for some more of this!
These two dudes are gonna have no problem at all navigating their way into the ol’ independent scene we share – if “Kharma Never Dies” is any indication of what they’re capable of, believe me, there are plenty of people around the globe that will be stoked to turn up the music they’re making. This single is straight-up stellar, and there’s not an ounce of it that I’d change, or think to remotely criticize; Kaiak clearly comes to us with the right instincts, know-how, and talent it takes to stand out for all the right reasons. You’ve got Marcos Ubeda (Keys/Producer/Backing Vocals) and Emil Gullhamn (Vocals/Guitar) – they write their songs together as any great duo SHOULD, which results in a perfect harmony between their balance of the strengths that they bring to the tunes they’re creating, and a sound that we’re all bound to enjoy.
It’s one of those situations where I almost don’t know where to begin – there’s a whole lot to love about a well-crafted song like this one. The most you’ll find me conceding to ya in this review is that the majority of the comparisons you’d probably make to their sound likely reside mainly in the past of music’s history…but make no mistake, they’re rockin’ with a style that’s timeless & consistently relevant. It’s like…almost like if you were able to somehow take the warm & beautiful glow in the production of truly old-school R&B/Pop like you’d find on the old Michael Jackson records, with the innovative Indie/Pop hooks of a niche project like Scritti Politti – you’d end up with something that’s close to the sound of what you’ll hear in Kaiak, which really sets them up to go down about as smooth as any band or artist you’ve literally ever heard coming through your speakers & sliding straight into your ears. So all that, clearly checks out perfectly – and that’s like, not even mentioning the flawless musicianship, the fabulous vocals they’ve got, and the cleverly composed lyricism that comes along with “Kharma Never Dies” as well! You see what I’m sayin’ folks? Kaiak’s got a ton of great things working in their favor, and a wonderfully addictive vibe.
“You’re so better off without my rollercoasting” is truly one of the best lyrical lines I’ve heard this year, and they use it perfectly. On paper, sure, I can understand you’d probably look at it and wonder how it’s going to fit or even carry the melody it would need to get you excited about it as much as I am…but I trust that the ears on your head will confirm everything I’m saying once you have a listen for yourselves. You’ll discover that this specific line not only stands out brilliantly for its uniqueness, but that it also ends up being an extremely addictive hook within “Kharma Never Dies” that you’ll be singing around the house for days & days & days. Then there’s the incredibly awesome one-shot video that they’ve put together to support their new single, which I’ll readily admit – at first, I thought might even be a creation they did by green-screen at first, but unless they’ve rehearsed their bike-riding techniques, we’d have to come to the conclusion that this is actually all filmed right out in the open air as they ride along through the countryside. It makes for an excellent pairing – not just the duo, but the song & video as well – everything about Kaiak seems to emanate a genuinely natural & easygoing vibe that completely makes sense from sight to sound. You certainly won’t find me complaining about this whatsoever – it didn’t even take a single spin through “Kharma Never Dies” to know I was going to love this song, and the fact that I’ve continued to play it on repeat ever since I first got a copy is all the proof you’d need to know that I was right all along. “Ain’t no doubt about it,” as they’ll tell ya themselves…obviously they’re not referring to the fact that you’re gonna love this song within the lyricism, but that doesn’t make this line any less true in supporting my thesis – you’re gonna love the sweetness they’ve got goin’ on in Kaiak!
“Kharma Never Dies” is expertly assembled, smartly structured, and filled with hooks that radiate from the performance to the production – they’ve given you every possible reason to listen – and so have I! They’ve got all the right pieces in place to succeed by any definition of success they choose for themselves – I’d listen to Kaiak any day of the week & can’t wait to hear more from them.
Find out more about Kaiak from their official website at: https://www.kaiakmusic.com
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