Karate
Make It Fit
Numero Group [2024]
“Karate returns from a 20-year hiatus with an album that expands on their signature sound.”
Album Overview: Karate dissolved after the release of their 2004 album Pockets, a record that felt in some ways like the logical end point of the band’s progression. Starting out as a post-hardcore/slowcore band with their self-titled album in 1995, their sound gradually evolved into something much more spacious and jazz-influenced while at the same time maintaining that post-hardcore energy. The Numero Group began reissuing Karate’s albums in 2021, and it wasn’t too long before the band decided to re-form and start playing shows, a reunion that eventually resulted in Make It Fit, the band’s seventh full-length album. It’s a record that departs from the band’s emo/slowcore/jazz fusion in some ways, which may disappoint fans looking for more of the same—but for the more adventurous listener, it offers some intriguing and surprisingly fun glimpses of where they might go next.
Musical Style: There aren’t a lot of musical surprises on Make It Fit; despite its differences, the album is a natural sequel to Pockets in many ways. The band’s sparsely layered sound—guitar, bass, drums, and vocals—is still intact, and it fits as well in 2024 as it would have in 2004. The bass and drums hold things down while Geoff Farina’s guitar effortlessly alternates between energetic riffing and fluid jazz guitar leads. The biggest difference is probably Farina’s voice, which is has a slightly different tone and deeper register than 20 years ago but is still instantly recognizable.
Evolution of Sound: Even though Karate’s sound underwent some pretty drastic changes during their initial run, the interplay between the three members and Farina’s half-sung-half-spoken vocals have always been the core. If anything, each album they released found the band stripping things away to get closer to the essence of their sound. And thankfully Make It Fit continues that trajectory, keeping things simple to bring the band’s playing to the forefront. Farina’s voice and guitar are the initial draws, but the way Jeff Goddard’s bass and Gavin McCarthy’s drums fill the spaces in between is an impressive demonstration of the “less is more” approach that characterizes Karate’s sound. Maybe the most surprising aspect of Make It Fit, though, is that the band sound genuinely energized to be back together, something that can’t always be said when a band gets back together after two decades. The new songs have a drive that gives them a sense of playfulness, creating a different feel than their previous work and hinting at new directions they could head in the future.
Artists with Similar Fire: Karate’s sound has always been a bit hard to pigeonhole because of its unique mix of post-hardcore/slowcore, indie rock, and jazz that not a lot of other bands have pursued. The closest analogs are some of their contemporaries, bands like June of 44, Bedhead, and Codeine, although those acts often took the basic sound they shared in different directions. The late 70s band Television is another touchstone, especially in the way they fused the energy of punk with the more exploratory nature of jazz-influenced guitar improvisation.
Pivotal Tracks: Make It Fit starts off strong with “Defendants,” a track that introduces the record’s lively atmosphere with some dynamic soloing from Farina and a catchy melody—the latter not something you’d typically associate with Karate’s more abstract, impressionistic later work. Despite its title, “Cannibals” is similarly upbeat, while “Rattle the Pipes” is a self-deprecating track that pokes fun at the life of a touring musician. “Three Dollar Bill” fuses the band’s jazz-rock side to some reggae and blues elements, creating an unlikely blend of styles that somehow works. Some of the album’s best moments, though, are the quieter ones that bridge the gap between their new sound and old—tracks like the gentle “Liminal” or the moody, deliberate slow build of closer “Silence, Sound.”
Lyrical Strength: Each song on Make It Fit has its own lyrical concerns, but there are a few key themes that seem to pop up frequently. Many are first and second-person narratives that examine strained or failed relationships, some in an accusatory way and others in a more self-critical manner. Some tracks focus on the tension between everyday monotony and trying to find sense of purpose in it all, while others examine some of the more extreme aspects of our modern political circus, approaching it in a way that highlights the absurdities and filters them through analogies and abstract imagery.
KARATE LINKS
Instagram | Bandcamp | Numero Group
- Karate: Make It Fit [Album Review] - October 22, 2024
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