Sulka is the lo-fi melodic scuzz-rock songwriting and recording project of Glasgow-based Lukas Clasen. His debut single for Lost Map, ‘Fear It’, will be released on October 21, 2020 on digital services and as part of Lost Map’s subscription service the PostMap Club, which includes an exclusive acoustic recording of the song. ‘Fear It’ is the opening track from Sulka’s brand-new album Take Care which will be released in January 2021. “This song channels a lot of bands I listened to in my late teens,” says Lukas of ‘Fear It’, “Cloud Nothings, The Cribs, Dinosaur Jr, Elliott Smith for example. So it has a kind of nostalgic but timeless feel to it for me. Lyrically there’s a lot of angst and turbulence in there which I think sets up some of the themes of the album quite well. I’m especially grateful to my friend Niamh from Moonsoup for adding some last-minute backing vocals which makes it a million times more listenable to me.”

Sulka has put out a steady stream of albums and EPs since 2017 via various local cassette labels including Gold Mold, Death Collective, Common and Negative Hope. Lukas’s songwriting draws its main inspiration from figures of the late 90s and early 00s alternative scenes; Elliott Smith-esque acoustic compositions, scuzzy upbeat indie-rock tracks reminiscent of The Cribs and experiments in sound collage in the vein of Badly Drawn Boy. The dynamic and stylistic range of the tracks are kept coherent through a DIY home recording aesthetic and a consistent lyrical tone. Throughout the tracks, raw personal subject matter such as relationships and mental health are often explored with a mixture of sincerity and tongue-in-cheek word play. Sulka has regularly performed live (both solo and as a full band), with highlights including opening slots for like-minded acts PAWS, Sorry, Current Joys and Jeffrey Lewis & the Voltage.

“Lukas sent me his music over lockdown, having heard a release we did earlier in the year by Good Dog,” explains Lost Map Records boss Johnny Lynch. “I was really taken by the strength of his songwriting, and the fact that the sound of his recordings were so fully realised. Although he performs with a live band, Lukas recorded all the instruments on this record himself, and that DIY spirit is something I’m always drawn to. ‘Fear It’ was the very first track I heard, and it’s a perfect introduction to his world – super-melodic, and with a propulsive energy that pulls the listener in. I’m really excited for folks to hear the album.”