Kaonashi - ‘A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond,’ review
Kaonashi by James Perry
This Friday, Philadelphia’s Kaonashi drop their latest EP, the evocatively titled A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond, via Equal Vision Records. Like Kaonashi’s previous releases on the label, the EP is a concept record, but unlike the fantastical epics we often associate with the genre—such as Coheed and Cambria’s sweeping sci-fi saga The Amory Wars or the religious-tinged chronicle of Forgive Durden’s Razia’s Shadow—Kaonashi have taken an entirely different route. Drawing from their personal experiences, they construct a parallel universe that chronicles the intertwined lives and tragedies of a revolving cast of American high school students.
We first encountered this with their EP Why Did You Do It?, which was further expanded in their debut album, Dear Lemon House, You Ruined Me: Senior Year, focusing on the life and rage of the androgynous Jamie. Last year’s The 3 Faces of Beauty: A Violent Misinterpretation of Morgan Montgomery explored Morgan and their junior year. With this latest release, they delve into the life of Casey and how they ended up with the tragedy at the end of their debut. Like all good high school dramas, Kaonashi’s output tackles themes of heartache, abuse, teenage excess, loss, and suicide. A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond is not only a brilliant addition to the Kaonashi High School storyline but also an EP filled with track after track of the band's exceptional blend of metal, hardcore, punk, post-hardcore, and pop. It leaves you not only wanting but needing more.
The EP opens with "Blood Red Camry Dance Party," and right out of the gate, we're hit with swirling '80s-influenced synths as we find this EP’s protagonist, Casey, recklessly driving their newly purchased used blood-red Toyota Camry. The track captures the ecstasy and freedom of owning your own car, the wind blowing through your hair as you push the limits, feeling escape and wanting more as you taste what freedom could be like and envision your life starting over again. It's an upbeat, infectious track that drives you to your feet—or more likely, to go cruising in your car. Kaonashi have perfectly paired the track's sonic landscape with its lyrical content. I can see this becoming a feature of many of my road trip playlists.
Following the overture and ecstasy of the album's opener, we find ourselves immersed in Casey’s budding high school romance. Their obsession with Jamie is clear as they walk past their class every day, fixating on the life they could have together. This obsession shifts to a budding romance, with their partner seemingly reciprocating their feelings, even if it's muddled and unclear. What makes this track even better is its infusion with Third Wave “Mall Emo” influences. As a kid who grew up in that era, it hits deep; it's probably my favourite track on an EP filled with stone-cold bangers.
The EP’s lead single, "Passing Through the Hourglass," arrives at its midpoint. For those who have been listening to my radio show over the past few months, you know I love this track. Sonically, it’s an epic, with Kaonashi wearing their Coheed influences on their sleeves. At times, I get so caught up with the melody that I forget it's part of a narrative arc. That said, it's clear that Casey’s infatuation and obsession with Jamie are becoming stronger and stronger. Their paranoia about messing everything up from the start becomes evident, as does their broken heart. It feels far more like obsession than love, and a dangerous one at that. The toxic nature of their relationship and feelings becomes clear: “Would you love me if hurt, would you jump out of my Camry I asked you at first, if ran you over and put in reverse, would you hop back or tell me that I am the worst?”
Entering the second half of the EP, we get the second pre-release single, the screamo-influenced "Straycations," featuring palm-muted guitars that would sound right at home on a classic Warped Tour or Give It A Name lineup. How much truth we are being told by Casey, who truly knows? After all, the album is titled The Brilliant Lies. Casey feels too obsessed to tell the truth; how much is just blown up in their own head, and what is simply them projecting a fantasy? Fittingly, for a track with such strong angsty instrumentation and sonic soundscape, the lyrics follow suit with themes of breakdowns and fights over infidelity. Anger and shame run rife, tinged with the ecstasy of illicit release. The want for argument, the need for the fight—the obsession is clear. Any emotion is good, and Casey enjoys inflicting pain. By the end, we see everything in shambles: broken promises and, more importantly, the inability to communicate.
Closing the EP is the fittingly titled "Exit Pt. VI (The Guilt in the Rearview)." It’s the EP’s slowest and longest track, as we look back at life through Casey’s rearview mirror. The band have mentioned the influence of Death Cab For Cutie’s Plans on the track, and that can be clearly heard in its phrasing. Casey is mournful, regretful, wishing it was them and not Jamie who died. How much truth are we being told by Casey? Who truly knows? After all, the album is titled The Brilliant Lies. Casey feels too obsessed to tell the truth; how much is just blown up in their own head, and what is simply them projecting a fantasy? “I will paint the picture my way”—are they truly broken, are they truly sorry, or is this just one of Casey’s brilliant lies?
Fitting for a track influenced by Death Cab For Cutie, right at the end we are left with a cliffhanger that would not seem out of place on The O.C.—an accusation that makes it seem Jamie’s apparent suicide at the end of the band’s debut album might not have been so self-inflicted, with the lines cutting into electrical static right before they can say the whole thing: “I know you killed Jam…”
Not only is A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond a brilliant addition to the Kaonashi High School storyline, but it is also an EP filled with track after track of the band's exceptional blend of metal, hardcore, punk, post-hardcore, and pop. This release showcases Kaonashi's ability to perfectly merge their sonic landscape with deeply emotional and complex lyrical content, creating an immersive experience that leaves you both wanting and needing more.
If this EP is any indication of what we can expect next from Kaonashi, we are in for an exciting ride. The band has proven that they can craft compelling narratives while delivering powerful, infectious music that resonates on multiple levels. I am eagerly anticipating their next move and cannot wait to see where their journey takes us next.
A Second Chance at Forever: The Brilliant Lies from Casey Diamond from Kaonashi is out 26 July via Equal Vision Records and available on all good streaming platforms. Catch Kaonashi supporting The Fall of Troy across the UK this July and August, and don’t miss them at the mighty ArcTanGent Festival next month.
