Kaonashi continues to be one of the more interesting bands to emerge in the post hardcore and metalcore space in the last decade. The Philadelphia based group has offered listeners a sound that was both nostalgic and fresh, capturing everything from Warped Tour era emo and pop punk to metalcore and post hardcore alongside lyrics that felt very personal and emotional despite being fictionalized narratives. Earlier this year they kicked off a trilogy of EP’s that built off the storyline from Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year, opting for some of the heaviest riffs and most intense vocal work to date. But for as wild and heavy a ride as the very long titled The 3 Faces Of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation of Morgan Montgomery was, its closing track hinted that a complete tonal shift was coming for the second installment. The equally long titled A Second Chance At Forever: The Brilliant Lies From Casey Diamond has now arrived around seventh months later and that hint has proven true as the five tracks go for bouncier and bright post hardcore and emo while still having some darker lyrical content. On the surface it may seem like a carbon copy of early 2000s material from some of the more popular bands in those genres but give it a few spins and you’ll start to hear how Kaonashi continues to put their own spin on things.
Right from the start the sound Kaonashi is going for on this EP is very nostalgic and recalls a very specific timeframe in emo, post hardcore, and even pop punk. Opener “Blood Red Camry Dance Party” has very prominent synth melodies and a much bouncier feel to the instrumentation, with the guitars having that airier quality to them that recalls a lot of 2000’s pop punk and post hardcore. Personally I was getting a lot of earlier Motion City Soundtrack from this song along with a little bit of math rock and post hardcore in the ways that the guitars shake things up, as there are some slightly more complex elements to the playing underneath the poppy exterior. Some of the other songs bring in more of a Sonny Moore era From First To Last vibe, especially “Passing Through the Hourglass”, but I also hear everything from Dashboard Confessional to At The Drive In depending on the tonality. Even though there’s a lighter and brisker feel to the songwriting, there are some sharper edges and closer “Exit Pt. VI (The Guilt In The Rearview)” has a much darker slant to it with drearier leads and booming bass work. Chances are good if you’ve been a fan of any of these genres since the early 2000’s other band comparisons will come to mind, but everything comes together in a way that doesn’t feel quite as derivative. Songs like “Passing Through the Hourglass” and “Straycations” have some dips back into heavier metalcore riffs but keep emo and post hardcore at the forefront. Despite its familiarity, there’s a lot of substance to this EP that kept the songs in my head after they had finished playing, and some unexpected transitions shake up the formula. It’s also worth noting that “Exit Pt. VI (The Guilt In The Rearview)” cuts off abruptly, suggesting it’ll seamlessly integrate with the final EP when that comes out.
The vocal work on the last EP was likely to be what made Kaonashi’s material grab some listeners or make them run in the other direction, as the extremity of Peter Rono’s pitch seemed to only elicit those responses. With the shift over to more of an emo and post hardcore approach, the higher pitched screams are much rarer this time around and the primary approach is much airier and emotive singing. On “Blood Red Camry Dance Party” the tone is much poppier with both the primary and back-up singing hitting some almost sickly-sweet ranges. “C.A.S.E.Y.” incorporates some spoken word alongside this, while “Passing Through The Hourglass” has a more distorted approach and one of the few appearances of Rono’s screams. “Exit Pt. VI (The Guilt In The Rearview)” is another stand-out for me, as it starts off with a much softer approach and builds into a tortured wail/scream as it reaches its sudden conclusion. Admittedly the one element I’m hit or miss on is some of the lyrics, as while they fit the overall narrative that Kaonashi established some of them come across like the most generic emo lyrics I’ve heard.
Kaonashi’s music has always been full of surprises, and this latest EP is no exception. Following their heaviest material to date they’ve turned things around completely in favor of some of their softest and poppiest while keeping things dark and heavy on the vocal and lyrical front. It’s an approach that works well, as they tap into this sense of nostalgia while still feeling relevant in 2024, and anything that reminds me of Sonny era From First To Last or Motion City Soundtrack without being too generic is a win in my book. I still prefer its predecessor slightly, as the opener is a bit one-dimensional compared to the rest of the instrumentation and some of the lyrics didn’t click. But I am interested to hear the final EP and how everything flows together, as this group remains exciting to follow. A Second Chance At Forever: The Brilliant Lies From Casey Diamond is available from Equal Vision Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg