I knew right away that Karate, Guns & Tanning were one of my favorite new finds of 2021 upon listening to their album Concrete Beach. However, it’s a bit hard to make heads or tails of exactly how to classify their sound. And I think the band would be okay with me saying that.

But, gosh darn it, I’m going to try to talk about what I’m hearing in this nine-track album!

The Indiana outfit could be classified as dream pop or shoegaze, two genres that are part of the same family of sounds, yet often manifest themselves in ways that seem to alienate the other. Karate, Guns & Tanning mixes noise with beauty, exploring the idea of delicate and hard-hitting effects mixing together.

The song “Graffiti Children” serves as a bit of a mission statement of what to expect from the band. A minor key verse lulls us into a mild hypnotic effect before a restrained, yet pronounced chorus. I can’t help but stare at the album art a bit while I listen. I’m both put off and intrigued by the psych-rock skull against the vaporwave-like backdrop.

The album is pretty, yet it seems to slog along at times. If you’ve had a long day, you might be advised not to play this loudly as your background music. However, it works great as loud music for thoughtful late night driving. “Breaking Teeth” offers a particularly abrasive example of this effect in action. Feel like getting punched in the teeth? Under the right circumstances, a song like this can be quite therapeautic.

“Clockwork” is a song that is very danceable and reminds me a bit of a synthpop banger from St Lucia or Phoenix. Imagine if one of those songs sat out in the sun all day, figuratively speaking. And, take it from me—as I write this review I’m a bit fatigued, and this song gave me a little boost of energy. Energy mixed with a dash of being pensive for good measure. That’s my default demeanor on a good day so I’ll take all of that you got! Add to that album closer “Hot Bots,” which mixes riot grrrl vocals, a gnarly bass riff reminiscent of Royal Blood, and soaring shoegaze production, I think we have a winner of an album here.

I’m not gonna pretend I love every song on this record because I don’t. But the parts that stand out really work. I wish I had a more eloquent way of explaining, but there you go.

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