Access All Areas

Karate Boogaloo — 2026

“Access All Areas proves that Karate Boogaloo know exactly when to let an instrument speak and when to let the entire band take over.”

Karate Boogaloo have spent nearly two decades perfecting their instrumental funk and soul sound, and Access All Areas shows just how much they have matured and can accomplish by trusting the process. Following 2024’s Hold Your Horses, the Australian quartet settles into tight rhythms, warm organ tones, and guitar lines that know exactly when to step forward and when to pull back. What I really like about this record is how the band uses space to make every instrument count. The isolated drumbeat that opens “Butterfly” immediately establishes the pocket, while “Booger’s Bounce of Joy” pulls almost everything away in its final third, letting the organ create its own percussive groove. That patience pays off, making even the smallest instrumental shifts feel important. Even on the more upbeat “Ballroom Blitz,” the band passes the spotlight between instruments, shifting tones without ever losing the groove. Recorded with a four-track tape setup, the music has a lived-in character, as if the band is playing right there in your living room. There is something incredibly satisfying about hearing a simple foot-tapping rhythm gradually turn into a full-band sway. Nothing feels forced, and that is exactly why it works as one of the band’s best releases.