Premiere: Karate Boogaloo Turn a Rainy Day Into a Groove on “Wet Day Timetable”

Melbourne’s Karate Boogaloo have developed the rare ability to make instrumental funk tell a story without saying a word. “Wet Day Timetable,” premiering here today ahead of its August 4 release, may be the band’s most quietly affecting piece yet. It begins with brushed drums and wistful guitar chords, an organ melody drifting overhead like a faded memory. Then the song slowly shakes off the rain and settles into an inviting groove, revealing the band’s effortless chemistry without ever abandoning its reflective mood. The DNA of The Meters, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, and The J.B.’s is unmistakable, but Karate Boogaloo have long since carved out a voice that feels entirely their own.

Their forthcoming album, Access All Areas, arriving October 9 via Colemine Records and College of Knowledge, was built around a deceptively simple guiding principle: access. Whenever a song became too complicated, it was abandoned. If it couldn’t be hummed, it didn’t survive. Access All Areas embraces economy, distilling each idea to its strongest form. Recorded live to a 4-track Ampex 440 with engineer Alex Bennett and mixed by Henry Jenkins, every track reflects the band’s fully collaborative approach, with each arrangement shaped together in the room rather than assembled piece by piece.

This is the sound of cool. Pre-order the album below.

Pre-order Access All Areas ↗

1“Butterfly”

2“Hooks, Lines and Sinker”

3“Tremendous Fantastic”

4“Wet Day Timetable”

5“Head First”

6“Small Business”

7“Booger’s Bounce of Joy”

8“Ballroom Blitz”

9“AAA”

10“Down Home”

11“We’ve Lost Something We Can’t Replace”