Coolonaut shares ‘Karma Smile’ album

Originally hailing from Scotland and now based in rural Australia, Coolonaut is a project that takes shape in the space where analogue sound and social consciousness collide. His music feels like it’s been transmitted from another time, a psychedelic broadcast from the 60s reimagined for a world that seems to have lost its sense of balance. Crafting what he calls “analogue Psychedelic Mod Music for the era in which we live,” Coolonaut blends nostalgia and protest, creating songs that channel the past’s idealism into commentary on the present’s disarray.

Unlike many contemporary artists, Coolonaut’s process is defiantly traditional; every moment, echo and imperfection is captured through an old-school analogue eight-track machine. “Its important for me that that I capture the essence of the sound of mid to late 60s music which I love,” he shares. The ambience, the warmth and the creative discipline of the era are central to his sonic vision, forming a sound that feels at once meaningful and enjoyable.

Psychedelia and 60s mod culture are stitched into the fabric of his creative output, not as museum relics but as living principles. His songs evoke the jangling optimism of The Byrds, the cosmic questioning of early Pink Floyd and the energy of The Kinks, yet they speak directly to the anxieties and absurdities of our own time. As Coolonaut, he first began making albums in 2024, just as the world was sliding deeper into what he describes as a Matrix-like reality.

He watched as the moral fabric of society began to fray, when the ideals of justice and human rights seemed to dissolve under the weight of apathy and disinformation. Where once musicians might have raised their voices in protest, he saw only silence and he now uses his own music to deliver outrage channelled through melody. His third full-length album titled Karma Smile is both personal reflection and political critique, a record that moves between the intimate and the widely relatable. Across ten tracks, Coolonaut examines the fractures in modern life while holding onto a thread of defiant humanity.

Throughout Karma Smile, the tone oscillates between sardonic humour and heartfelt despair, between the yearning for peace and the frustration of its absence. Coolonaut’s lyrics simmer with a belief in Karmic Justice, a conviction that, one way or another, the balance will be restored and his words land as battle cries against hypocrisy, couched in fuzz-soaked guitars and swirling organ tones.

The lively twang of lightly gritty guitars and rattle of splashy drums kick start the album on opening track “Confabulation” as Coolonaut’s expressive vocals glide in to form an energising rock n’ roll jam packed full of slick rhythms and memorable hooks. “Be On The Right Side” brings fuzzy guitar textures and a hazy psych rock aesthetic cut with bright power pop flashes to present an engaging outing that’s timeless, catchy and thematically poignant all at once.

“Boganville” sketches more portraits of local characters and cultural absurdities wrapped up in a bouncy retro rock scene brimming with invigorating energy and commanding vocal performance. Title track “Karma Smile” drifts into focus with the pulse of bass guitar before the rustle of uptempo drums and bright organ textures combine to cast an engrossing soundscape capped by compelling vocal leads carrying picture painting lyricism.

“Pebble Dash Heaven” floats back to his Scottish childhood, tethering the album to personal memory with a jittery mod rock piece that flows with danceable groove, jangly guitars and infectious vocal lines. Closing the record with “I Dont Need To Apologise,” the steady stab of guitar chords and patter of percussion forms a moody rock backdrop for Coolonaut’s animated vocal performance to shine above, serving up an epic finale to conclude his superb new LP.

Listen to Karma Smile below