“Krisis Genre”
releasing May 23

As the world shed its skin of the pandemic, Karate, Guns and Tanning focused on traveling, reconnecting with nature and processing traumas old and new. These reflections brought out a desire to explore the psychedelic realms — musically and visually — that the band’s first album, Concrete Beach, barely scratched. Valerie Green, Joy Caroline Mills and Erik Fox put more emphasis on collaborative and intentional writing this time, resulting in their new album, Krisis Genre.

Krisis Genre weaves pulsing rhythms, world music guitar riffs, a fierce low end and dream-like vocals over synthesizers and natural sounds. It’s cosmic, heavy, clear and refreshing. Krisis Genre nods to titans like Deep Purple and Pink Floyd, but puts a modern twist in a genre rife with bloated instrumentals or droning tones. The album requires the listener to buckle up, as the psychedelic world of Karate, Guns and Tanning is an ever-changing landscape.

Three singles, “Glassy,” “Loons” and “New Tropic” were unanimously picked by the band early in the recording process.

“Glassy,” which kicks off the album, is a prime example of what Karate, Guns and Tanning set out to do. Thick in shoegaze atmosphere that keeps your head bobbing the whole time, each member finds a moment or two to stand out in the midst of a heavy fog.

“Loons” uses bird sounds and heavy guitar delay to bring out the spirit of the great wild North. It invokes the sense of mystery (and perhaps danger) that comes from nature, using tribal rhythms and guitars in a style that would fit alongside any John Carpenter soundtrack.

“New Tropic,” which ends the album, is a great compliment to “Glassy” musically, lyrically and thematically. Green sings about conflict, change and the end of an era. Mills hammers out Turkish-inspired guitar sounds. Fox pulls the beat apart with tom-filled breaks. It starts minimal, but quickly explodes into a full sound, ending on an almost “To Be Continued. . .” musical cliffhanger.  

“We are more grown up as a band, and we spent a lot of time crafting these songs and forming a more cohesive album,” says bassist/vocalist Green. “The live aspect is more important with these songs, which Concrete Beach wasn’t. We wanted more dynamics, more drama.”

Speaking of drama: Recording Krisis Genre was rife with detours. Tracking started in 2022 with Wes Heaton and Holy Ground Productions in Indianapolis, but the original studio building was sold from under the tenants’ feet. Drums, bass and other instrumentation was then done at the popular Postal Recording by Heaton in 2023. Additional vocal and guitar work was done by Green and guitarist Joy Caroline Mills at both Holy Ground’s new space and their homes in 2024. 

“You have to be persistent,” Green says. “It always just takes a push.”

Keeping the live performance in mind, the band stayed busy in between sessions with a short Pacific Northwest run, culminating in a slot at Tremolo Fest in Seattle; hometown shows including popular psych fest Back Alley Ballyhoo and POST. Festival; and a featured spot for the Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival in Michigan. Each set also features projected videos featuring work from surrealist motion designer Andrew Knives, who did the artwork for Krisis Genre as well.

KEXP producer and New Age Healers guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Owen Murphy, a longtime champion of the band, introduced them to James Aparicio for mixing and mastering. London-based Aparicio, who has worked on albums for artists such as Depeche Mode, Moby, Liars, Spiritualized? and Mogwai (to name a few,) crafted the album into a sonic explosion of clarity and definition.

It’s a stark contrast to the experimental, lo-fi approach of Concrete Beach, as no layer in Krisis Genre is buried. The sounds are rich, the hooks linger in your head and nothing is run-of-the-mill.

“All of what goes into creating and playing is motivating,” Green says. “That’s the great part of being an independent band. We don’t answer to anyone. It’s not draining to create.”

Krisis Genre will be released May 23, 2025.

Karate, Guns and Tanning is Valerie Green (she/her) on lead vocals, bass, and synths; Joy Caroline Mills (she/her) on guitar, vocals and synths; and Erik Fox (he/him) on drums.