Single Review: KARMA

The first thought that came into my mind after hearing this song was how it would work so well on the soundtrack of a nostalgic 90’s film. It’s relatable and relentlessly resilient, I love it. ARLi talks about that feeling of resentment in multiple different contexts. One familiar scenario is the resentment towards someone you had a romantic connection with in the past, and how we paint a revengeful picture in our mind of them being humbled by karma in some way. In her new single titled KARMA Auckland-based artist ARLi, also known as Alice Foulds, evokes this emotion in a dynamic way.

ARLi was originally known as Alice Foulds in the NZ music scene for seven years. Her sound is coloured with hints of classic rock with a splash of punk. You can hear the effect that her childhood influences had on her, including Blink182, The Offspring, Nirvana, and Avril Lavigne. Producer Toby Lloyd from Tiny Triumph Recordings bring the song to its full capacity of admiration, along with Robin Schmidt who helped master the song.

The song shouts about the importance of being unshackled and having resilience, especially as a woman in a world full of gender inequality and misogyny. Further, ARLi is explaining her own personal struggles including her experiences within the music industry, which is always a refreshing perspective and an important conversation to have. The title of the single matches the sound perfectly. The lyrics sound like they are empowered by resentment and the adrenaline that comes with it and there’s almost something poignant about it. What is particularly interesting to notice about the lyrics is that it uses a rhyming scheme. In this way, it adds a tone of poetic playfulness to the song. On each heavy drum beat, there’s a word that plays on the word Karma. You can hear this used in lots of good rock songs because it’s compelling and it helps the supporting instruments, such as a bass guitar, to have a cohesive and enforced rhythm.

There’s more ARLi has to offer in her music, especially considering she isn’t afraid to target an important topic. I’m intrigued to see what else ARLi has to offer after hearing this single so I’ll continue to keep an eye out for her future projects.