“You’re housebroken like an underdog.”
Philadelpha post-hardcore is not the biggest scene, but if there’s been one bright spot in recent years, it’s the emergence of Kaonashi. 2021’s Dear Lemon House… really allowed them to make a name for themselves what with the deep and detailed concept of it, as well as the musical feats of it. “Emo mathcore” is an apt description, as the band combined heavy, yet melodic chord progressions with proggy elements, and Peter’s Rono’s iconic vocals. Said vocals, for the uninformed, are not unlike Bryan Garris of Knocked Loose fame, but entirely their own, of course, with a more breath-heavy approach as well. They might be an acquired taste for some, but it allows the band to be entirely unique as they write in conjunction with them. Since Dear Lemon House…, the band has released an EP early this year – The 3 Faces of Beauty…, and have now kept that momentum with the upcoming A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond.
The EP opens with “Blood Red Camry Dance Party” which is, more or less, a sign of what’s to come with the release. Fans that are hopping in here from Dear Lemon House… might be a bit taken by surprise, as this single is very poppy, very cutesy, and closer to All Time Low and Blink-182 than older Kaonashi. What remains the same, however, is the character focused narrative, and boots-on-the-ground PoV for that story telling within the lyrics. These tones are present throughout the whole project, but they’re most amplified on this opener. I find this a questionable track placement because of that, though I know there’s a narrative structure to consider, but there’s a jarring aspect to how poppy this cut is, and I can’t say it’s all enjoyable. Then there’s “C.A.S.E.Y”, and while the opening track had a case for a Blink-182 comparison, “C.A.S.E.Y” takes the cake for that by far. Moreover, a lot of the vocals here are eerily similar to Mark Hoppus. Outside of that statement, the song doesn’t illicit much of a reaction from me due to how poppy it is, without some of the more creative elements the band has proven they can incorporate.
Luckily from there, the rest of the EP is all gas. If “Passing Through the Hourglass” isn’t the heaviest song, it at least has the heaviest section, as we get a classic breakdown structure about halfway through, albeit with a great rhythm and punch. The momentum is maintained from there; the song is also a couple notches higher on the energy gauge. There are many vocal styles on this track which always something I enjoy about Kaonashi, and the alt rock vocal style as the song plays out is a great touch; I have no idea who is doing them (probably Alex Hallquist) but they come up later and the more of this, the better.
While it’s predecessor was the heaviest, “Straycations” is the most mathy. There’s still pop passages, but also sweeping guitar leads and a bit of an odd signature. The bridge also aids itself to this statement as it abruptly switches up to a different structure after the mathy passage. The twists this song takes is a good example of how fun Kaonoshi in general can be. Their instrumental work is fun in the most valid sense of the word, not like how some people might consider the most bland arena rock “fun” instead of giving it meaningful praise. The music video is also great fun.
“Exit Pt. VI” is a whole new feat for the band, and an impressive one. I don’t want to spoil too much, but it starts out almost post-rock in tone, and the bass driven, atmospheric instrumental that evolves from there is done very well. The vocal bit that I enjoyed so much at the end of “Passing Through the Hourglass” is the feature style on this song which I obviously love. The track continues in mostly the same manner, maintaining it’s softer nature, but overall it’s well written.
The very end of the EP, in my opinion, hints at something more – something not immediately upcoming, but not too far down the line. Since this is already the 2nd EP of the year for the band, the precedent is there for a quick turnaround, and these kinds of things usually happen in threes. I don’t want to set incorrect expectations, but that’s just how I’m reading the end of “Exit Pt. VI”. And I hope there is more, because I feel like the band is evolving with every year despite not staying within one sound, and the best of bands can stick to that. A Second Chance at Forever certainly deserves your listen if anything, because of that.
7/10
A Second Chance at Forever is out this Friday via Equal Vision Records, you can pre-order it here.