Kula Shaker — the Britpop anomaly, as they’ve called themselves — came up in the mid-nineties alongside bands like The Verve, Oasis, Blur, but they never quite fit into the media pigeonhole of that catchy label, and for good reason. Today, nearly eight studio albums into their career, they’re older, wiser and maybe a little more mature, but their philosophy remains the same as it’s always been: to create a much-needed escape, for one — and for the rest, you'll just have to listen.

Kula Shaker released their latest single, “Be Merciful,” on Wednesday, and their next album, “Wormslayer,” comes out January 30th. And I recently had the privilege of speaking with frontman Crispian Mills, longtime keyboardist Jay Darlington and bassist Alonza Bevan when the band came to town last month.