In recent months we’ve previewed Bute, the new album from Glasgow-based songwriter Lukas Clasen, AKA Sulka, coming in July via Lost Map and No Soap Records. First came lead single ‘Halloween‘, a track which found Clasen evolving his sound from previous album Distractions, “pairing subdued vocals with an eerie backdrop of distorted guitars and synths to evoke the season of its title,” as we put it. “The track which emerges captures the duality of Halloween, where nostalgic comfort meets the shadowy unease of the unknown.”
Then there was ‘All Bets Off‘. “An ostensibly charming indie pop song that nevertheless delves into a toxic relationship,” we wrote, “and not your average one either.” Because, partly inspired by The Sopranos, the single was written from an equine perspective, exploring the exploitation at the heart of the horse racing industry. “Tony [Soprano] buys a race horse and develops a genuine love for it,” Clasen explains of the episode which sparked the idea. “I thought writing a song from the horse’s perspective would make an interesting device for exploring the ups and downs of a volatile relationship.”
With the release of Bute approaching, Sulka has now returned with brand new track ‘Meteorite’. Again crafted in the project’s trademark fuzzy DIY aesthetic, the song this time takes the perspective of an entirely different character, centring on a prepper-style protagonist who, finally vindicated in his pessimism, has been given a chance to put his plans in motion. “Fireball in the sky / Giant meteorite / Cutting through the night / Grab your keys and drive,” as the first verse opens, though the sound is far from the doom-laden atmosphere you might expect. Rather, there’s almost something buoyant in the hazy fuzz, as though even the end of the world comes with its own possibility of new beginnings.
I have dreamed it through
I have seen the news
Pack my bags and food
Got no time to loseThink I know a place
We can go be safe
There will be no trace
Watch the world erase
