
Karate
Make It Fit
The Numero Group
Jan 14, 2025 Web Exclusive
Karate have been away for quite some time. Seventeen years is one hell of a hiatus. For fans of their unmatched combo of jazz and post-rock, the announcement of a wave of reissues in 2021 followed by their return to the live stage in 2023 has been an unexpected thrill. Those 2023 shows, in particular their set at Primavera Sound in Barcelona (which your writer was lucky enough to witness) showed a band who cleared the decades with an easy step and appeared to have strolled back onto the stage as if they had only recently departed it.
New material is always a risky deal in the realm of the rock reunion. There’s a reason why a good number of bands stick to the old favorites and trot out album nostalgia on increasingly frequent do-you-remember-the-past tours. Karate take a bold step with Make It Fit, in threatening to disappoint their core fanbase, but instead delivering a new record that promises not only to delight their adherents, but also to impress a far wider audience.
Make It Fit explodes from the speakers with a brace of moving, unconventional tunes blending timeless guitar crunch with memorable melodies, compelling lyrics and sneaky time signatures. “Cannibals” is an alternate universe anthem collapsing down the stairs of touring life, while the Minutemen thrills of the brilliantly restrained “Rattle the Pipes” marries scratchy rock to glimpses of glorious vocal swoon.
“Around the Dial” sees the band at their most mellow, minimalist, and moving, while the mournful closer “Silence, Sound” recalls Codeine’s finer moments. “People Ain’t Folk” is a punk spitfire of a song, allowing Geoff Farina’s half-spoken vocals to shine against the backdrop of Jeff Goddard’s elastic bass and Gavin McCarthy’s immaculate, inventive beats.
The record demands instant and numerous replays, not only recalling the best work of their first run, but offering something more accessible, more wonderful and wise than before. It’s a tremendous and compelling record, and one you need to hear immediately. A welcome, remarkable, and triumphant return. (www.karateallston.bandcamp.com/album/make-it-fit)
Author rating: 8.5/10
Average reader rating: 7/10
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