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Draft:Natural Magick

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Natural Magick
Studio album by
Kula Shaker
Released2 February 2024 (2024-02-02)
Recorded2023
StudioMetway Studio (Brighton, England)
GenreRock
Length46:33
LabelStrange F.O.L.K.
ProducerKev Nixon, Crispian Mills, Alonza Bevan
Kula Shaker chronology
1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs
(2022) 		Natural Magick
(2024)
Singles from Natural Magick
  1. "Waves"
    Released: 28 July 2023
  2. "Indian Record Player"
    Released: 13 October 2023
  3. "Natural Magick"
    Released: 5 January 2024

Natural Magick is the seventh studio album by the English rock band Kula Shaker, released on 2 February 2024.[1] Co-produced by Kev Nixon along with band members Crispian Mills and Alonza Bevan, it is the first album to feature all four of the group's founding members since 1999's Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts, as organist Jay Darlington had rejoined in late 2022.[2][3][4] The album reached No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart.[5]

Background

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When Kula Shaker officially reformed in 2006 (after disbanding in 1999), Jay Darlington was the sole founding member not to return, for at that time he was the touring keyboardist for Oasis. Kula Shaker in turn brought in keyboardist Harry Broadbent from 2006 to 2022, releasing four studio albums with him until his replacement by Darlington in late 2022. Darlington's first show back with Kula Shaker was at Shepherd's Bush Empire on 8 December 2022, in a special tribute gig to John Lennon on the anniversary of his death.[6][7][8]

Content

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"It's that spirit of, you know, like the MC5...and that good spirit of the 1960s. It was revolution but it was also fun. It wasn't a serious sort of Troskyite committee meeting. It was a party and also we wanted change as well".

— Alonza Bevan on how Natural Magick reflects the political climate of the '60s.[9]

Numerous songs on the album reference anti-establishment views, critique modernity, and address political polarisation within society.[10][11][12] The opening track, "Gaslighting", includes the line "The revolution will not be live-streamed across all social-media platforms", in reference to Gil Scott-Heron's poem.[10] When asked to elaborate on the track's meaning in a 2025 interview with LouderSound, Mills stated that "It’s about being disempowered by the ferocious psychosis that’s going on. People are not being encouraged to believe in themselves. We are on the side of people, of humanity, we’re not really involved in politics".[13] This idea of disillusionment and confusion in the modern world is expanded upon in the "Simon & Garfunkel-esque" song "Something Dangerous".[1][10] As Mills explains the track "Idon'twannapaymytaxes": "[I]n Britain... we were brought up on the idea that if we paid our taxes, we were somehow helping each other. And it turns out that all we’re doing, really, is paying for bombs".[14] "F-Bombs" contains a profanity-laced chorus protesting war and political manipulation.[12][15]

"Waves", with its "swirling Hammond organ and a big singalong chorus",[16] embraces imagery of "an international rock party".[1][10] "Indian Record Player" and "Chura Liya (You Stole My Heart)" pay homage to the band's Bollywood influences, such as R. D. Burman, Asha Parekh, and the soundtrack to the 1960 film Mughal-e-Azam.[10][17] "Happy Birthday" features the Hare Krishna mantra.

Other songs explore genres beyond Kula Shaker's traditional raga rock and Britpop sound. The minor-key title track, "Natural Magick", incorporates funk grooves and includes chants of "M-A-G-I-C-K" in its chorus.[1][12] "Whistle and I Will Come" is reminiscent of a western film score, in tribute to Crispian Mills' actress mother Hayley, who starred in the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind.[18] "Stay With Me Tonight" is a country ballad where Mills duets with female vocalist Alanoud Gigante.[8] The optimistic closer "Give Me Tomorrow" is an "ever-growing 50’s torch song"[19] that incorporates country and soul elements.[15]

Recording

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The album was recorded at Metway Studio in Brighton, England. In an October 2023 interview, Mills commented that: "We recorded between breaks during gigging as it’s the surest way to capture that live energy [and] much of the recording went smoothly and quickly. The longest part of the process usually involved finding the right tempo. [...] The songwriting process was fairly quick but intensive, with lots of acoustic demos. The return of Jay [Darlington] created a good wave of energy, and we road-tested a lot of these songs before we recorded them".[20]

Release

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Kula Shaker performing in Glasgow, April 2024

The album was released on 2 February 2024,[1][21] although orginally scheduled to be released a week prior on 26 January.[2][20] The album reached No. 22 in the UK Albums Chart and No. 1 in the UK Independent Albums Chart. It also climbed to No. 5 in Scotland.

Preceding the album's release, Kula Shaker released the first single, "Waves", on 28 July 2023.[22] The second single, "Indian Record Player", was released on 13 October 2023.[17][23] The final single, the title track "Natural Magick", was released on 5 January 2024.[24]

Tour

[edit]

To promote the album, Kula Shaker embarked on a 10-date UK tour that ran from 22 April to 5 May 2024, which began in Cardiff, Wales and concluded in Bournemouth, England.[25][26] In a press release leading up to the tour, Mills asserted that "Natural Magick feels like one of the best, if not the best studio album we’ve ever made, but much of it was written on the road and it’s all very much designed to be played in front of a live audience. This chapter in the band’s life is very much driven by live energy and that spiritual connection with the audiences which comes with it.[25]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Crispian Mills except where indicated[1]

Natural Magick track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Gaslighting"Mills, Alonza Bevan4:06
2."Waves" 2:54
3."Natural Magick"Mills, Alonza Bevan4:01
4."Indian Record Player"Mills, Simon Roberts, Joff Winterhart2:44
5."Chura Liya (You Stole My Heart)"R. D. Burman, Majrooh Sultanpuri3:57
6."Something Dangerous" 3:46
7."Stay With Me Tonight" 3:36
8."Happy Birthday"Bevan, Mills4:29
9."Idon'twannapaymytaxes" 2:40
10."F-bombs"Bevan, Jay Darlington, Mills, Paul Winterhart2:45
11."Whistle and I Will Come"Mills, Jake Gosling3:14
12."Kalifornia Blues" 4:14
13."Give Me Tomorrow" 4:07

Personnel

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Adapted from liner notes:

Kula Shaker

[edit]

Guest musicians

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  • LaBoni Barua – co-lead vocals (5, 8)
  • Alanoud Gigante – co-lead vocals (7), backing vocals (8, 9, 10, 12)
  • "Carly" – backing vocals (2, 4)
  • Layla Assam – backing vocals (2)
  • Hari Mills – backing vocals (3, 10)
  • Tamlin Darlington – backing vocals (10)
  • Jane Stanness – spoken word (12)
  • Heather Miles – spoken word (13)
  • David Morris – whistling (11)
  • Himanish Goswami – tabla and bongos (2–4, 6, 8)
  • Kofi Kari Kari – congos and bells (3)
  • Olivier Leclercq – sitar (8)
  • Tao Sauvenière – violins (8)
  • Richard Beesley – tenor and baritone saxophone (13)
  • Kris Jones – trumpet (13)
  • Tim Wade – trombone (13)

Additional personnel

[edit]
  • Kev Nixon – production, tambourine and cowbell (1, 2, 9, 12), backing vocals (10)
  • Toby May – engineer
  • Ash Howes – mixing
  • Prabjote Osahn – string arrangements (3, 4, 6, 11, 13)
  • Stylorouge – artwork

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Natural Magick
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[27] 5
UK Albums (OCC)[28] 22
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[29] 1

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Collar, Matt. "Natural Magick - Kula Shaker". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b Wilkes, Emma (20 December 2023). "Kula Shaker announce 'Natural Magick' – first new album with original line-up since 1998". NME. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Kula Shaker perform LIVE and tell Chris Evans about their brand new album". Virgin Radio UK. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Five Questions With Crispian Mills (Kula Shaker)". Magnet Magazine. 13 June 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  5. ^ "Natural Magick by Kula Shaker". Official Charts. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  6. ^ Barron, Michael (11 December 2022). "LIVE REVIEW: Kula Shaker at Shepherds Bush Empire, London". XS Noize. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  7. ^ Harding, Sara (11 December 2022). "Kula Shaker give the Empire a magical mystery music tour in psychedelia". MetalTalk. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  8. ^ a b Sterdan, Darryl (2 February 2024). "Albums Of The Week: Kula Shaker - Natural Magick". Tinnitist. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  9. ^ Oasis Podcast Network (27 January 2024). "247: The Shroud! Oasis Keyboardist Jay Darlington and Alonzo Bevan from Kula Shaker, plus Mars..." (Podcast). YouTube. Event occurs at 13:05-13:25. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  10. ^ a b c d e "LISTEN: KULA SHAKER announce new album 'Natural Magick' released on Jan 26th on Strange Folk Records". MusoMuso. 8 June 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  11. ^ "Feature: Kula Shaker • Spiritual Relationships". Illinois Entertainer. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Sandiford, Kayla. "Album Review: Kula Shaker – Natural Magick". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  13. ^ Ling, Dave (1 April 2025). ""The thing about rock, if it's real, is that it will always be relevant": Kula Shaker's Crispian Mills on mass psychosis and the best way to solve writer's block". LouderSound. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  14. ^ Yeske Taylor, Katherine (1 August 2025). "Kula Shaker Goes for 'Broke'". Rock and Roll Globe. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  15. ^ a b Barron, Michael (25 January 2024). "ALBUM REVIEW: Kula Shaker – Natural Magick". XS Noize. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  16. ^ "Track Of The Week: Kula Shaker 'Waves'". Shiiine On. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  17. ^ a b "Kula Shaker announce 13 Oct new single 'Indian Record Player'". Music-News.com. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  18. ^ Kendall, Jo (5 February 2024). ""Donovan came to my flat for a songwriting session. He brought a Tupperware box full of hash cakes": Catching up with Kula Shaker's Crispian Mills". LouderSound. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Kula Shaker: That Album's Magick". Lace 'Em Up Media. 10 February 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  20. ^ a b "Crispian Mills / Natural Magick Feels Like A Kula Shaker Refresh". MetalTalk. 25 October 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Kula Shaker Announce New LP 'Natural Magick', Stream Title Track". Kool Rock Radio. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  22. ^ "KULA SHAKER share the video for 'WAVES' – the first single from their soon-to-be 7th studio album". XS Noize. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  23. ^ Jones, Damian (10 October 2023). "Kula Shaker announce new single 'Indian Record Player'". NME. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  24. ^ "KULA SHAKER share video for new single 'NATURAL MAGICK'". XS Noize. 5 January 2024. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  25. ^ a b Duran, Anagricel (22 January 2024). "Kula Shaker announce Spring 2024 UK tour". NME. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  26. ^ King, Dan. "Kula Shaker Tour Kicks Off at Tramshed Cardiff This April". Cardiff & South Wales Advertiser. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
  29. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 5 August 2025.


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