Album Review: Karter AKA – Dangerous Creatures

Influenced by the 1994 PC game of the same name, Dangerous Creatures is unsurprisingly also inspired by the music of that decade.

Karter AKA makes music in a wide array of genres, from punk to anti-folk via indie rap, solo and in bands, and it’s fair to say that the Los Angeles based musician looks to that background for the album.

And while you’ll think that you are going to be heading for a few stylistic clashes, Karter AKA instead utilises elements of those genres to create a sound that flows like fond memories on a sunny afternoon.

The indie/guitar side is noticeable on opening tracks Sea Wasp and Danger Brain; the catchy loops and summery textures are like something of a 90s nature documentary – fitting considering the songs’ lyrics and the album’s subject.

On tracks like Create an Oasis, the role of rap and punk can be heard, though the song doesn’t fit within either scene. It’s more that here he brings a folk-like observational style to the lyrics, while his delivery has an edge to it, underplayed by chilled overtones, that leaves you looking for hidden meanings. Sometimes a song is simply a song, but here – and on other occasions on the album – you get the feeling that you can get different perspectives depending on your own mood.

Piranha and Flow On Kin continue that theme, the lyrics full of insight on both a personal and existential level. A lot for a rock song to contain, but it works wonderfully here and on the album as a whole.

His indie rap background is to the fore on Everything Strange About Me, where he teams up with Rita Rumproast and Moral Reef on vocals. The East Coast rap scene of the 90s can be heard, but Karter AKA plays with that paradigm too; the vocal samples, chilled beats, and indie riffs give the song added frisson. A similar feeling comes into play on The Law, collaborating with Daniel Talton, the psychedelic postures of the arrangement coming through in the laid-back beats and vocals.

For Karter AKA, the LP does play into nostalgia, but I’d say he does so deliberately: he has spoken about how the songs capture themes around power, survival, predator-prey relationships, and the animal nature of humanity. And that 90s aesthetic – for those not old enough to remember, it was a time of great optimism, where everything looked like everything was going to be better in the future – serves to give the lyrics greater impact.

It shows, without lecturing, that for all our technological advances, we don’t seem to have progressed as much as we think, and that nostalgia isn’t just about escapism; we can learn a lot from the past too. Dangerous Creatures is about making you think and making you feel, and it does so without being heavy, preferring to be relatable and open-hearted, and maybe you’ll learn something about yourself along the way.

Dangerous Creatures was released on the 27th of February and can be downloaded on Bandcamp and is streaming on Spotify. For artist and album news, check out Karter AKA on Instagram.