Split

Philadelphia's KAONASHI wants to create change. The quartet-Peter Rono (vocals), Ryan Paolilli (drums), Ryne Jones (bass), and Alex Hallquist (guitar/vocals)-aspire to generate compassion, understanding, and empathy through art. They understand that music is and has always been a force for bringing people together. They've made it their mission to leverage the platform that music provides to change the world around them for the better. 'These songs make up a fictional story but it's rooted in our personal experiences,' Rono explains. 'We are starting from the ending and moving to the beginning. On the 2021 LP Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year, it's about Jamie and it's the tragedy that happens on graduation day. The last release, 2024's The 3 Faces of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation Of Morgan Montgomery, is about Morgan and their junior year. And this album is about Casey and reveals more about how we ended up at this tragedy.' While the songs draw from the members' personal experiences, KAONASHI are simultaneously able to construct a parallel universe with their music to get lost inside that's as cathartic for the band as it is for their fans. 'There's a lot of unfortunate stories to get inspiration from and this really is a tragedy, but it's therapy for me getting it out in these songs,' he continues. That said, you don't have to follow the ongoing narrative to get lost in the album's sonic earworms. That's evident from the opener 'Blood Red Camry Dance Party,' an upbeat song that's teeming with infectious hooks, syncopated synths, and a melodic motif that's impossible to resist. Alternately, 'Straycations' sees the band embracing palmmuted guitars and post-hardcore inventiveness to craft a sound that wouldn't sound out of place on the Warped Tour as it showcases the band's jawdropping technical prowess. However, maybe most impressive is the album closer 'Exit Pt. VI (The Guilt in the Rearview),' a mid-tempo meditation with a cliffhanger ending that was inspired by DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE's Plans. 'That's definitely one of the heaviest songs we've ever written in terms of emotion and feeling,' Paolilli explains. 'It's the kind of song we've been trying to write and I feel like we just nailed it.' Whether you're a fan of metal, hardcore, punk, post-hardcore, or pop music, there's something to latch onto when it comes to A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond as these songs encompass all of those genres without every sounding forced-a fact that makes defining KAONASHI's music no simple task. Ultimately, the role of the artist is to create and not to categorize, and generally the public catches up, and it seems like that is finally happening for the band. 'We had to take the long route and be misunderstood and overlooked for a long time,' Rono summarizes. 'It took ten years of no one caring or just being an underdog to get where we are now. But now with this release, it's starting to be understood and starting to work out.'