Photograph: Dazey Doom
Philly act Kaonashi have been grinding within the heavy underground for a very long time. Initially fashioned in 2012, the band rapidly gained reputation within the metalcore scene however earlier than lengthy, the trio started incorporating varied parts of progressive steel and chaotic, 2000s-style mathcore into their sound. Now, 13 years later, Kaonashi have simply launched their newest album, I Need to Go Dwelling, which concludes a narrative the band started telling years in the past.
Decibel spoke with Kaonashi vocalist Peter Rono about I Need to Go Dwelling, rising as a songwriter and the pressures of fan expectations. I Need to Go Dwelling is out now.
You simply put out a brand new document known as I Need to Go Dwelling. Is that this thematically linked to your different information?
Sure, it completely is. It’s the fourth installment of our story a couple of ficitonal highschool character that goes to a ficitnoal highschool. That is the fourth and closing installment of the Lemon Home saga. The primary one was in 2021, that was the debut LP on Equal Imaginative and prescient. Then it was the 2024 EP known as The Three Faces of Magnificence, then one other 2024 EP known as A Second Likelihood at Perpetually, and that is the fourth and closing installment.
Do you’re feeling in some methods then that that is the top of an period?
Completely. It seems like the top of an period—it’s the completion of one thing we’ve been engaged on for 9 years. Every little thing we’ve completed since 2016 has been centered on this story: the merch, the music, the music movies, the tour flyers, promo photos, every thing. That is completion.
These ideas and tales are stuff you’ve been engaged on since Kaonashi grew to become a band with a little bit of consideration behind you, proper?
It’s what took us to the following stage. It’s what took us from junior to skilled, novice to skilled. There may be some nervousness behind it as a result of it’s all I’ve centered on for thus lengthy, however there’s additionally pleasure, as a result of I noticed the end line from the beginning and I’m so glad I noticed it by way of. I’m truly on the end line.
You guys have put out lots of music in a short while. What’s the course of of constructing these albums and EPs? Do you write whilst you’re on tour and let these songs evolve on the highway, or do you write if you’re house and buckle right down to get issues completed?
It’s type of writing as we go alongside within the studio. We take outdated elements, we make them into new elements, nevertheless it’s largely simply dedicating studio time, getting in and writing songs. This document, I Need to Go Dwelling, is the one time we did pre-produciton. We went up, we wrote, we left and got here again. That was a change on this album; every thing earlier than this album, we simply went in and threw issues on the wall and noticed what caught. I grew as a songwriter with this album as a result of it was truly laid out [instead of] simply writing issues with no timeline.
The truth that that is the final installment, there are lots of info I had already set in stone that I needed to refer again to. The completion of the story known as for extra ready songwriting.
In some methods, watching from the surface, Kaonashi has slowly change into a extra progressive band over time, the songs have gotten extra difficult musically and thematically. It’s a pure level to return to the place you’re feeling the necessity to improve how significantly you are taking it.
It acquired extra severe. We’ve simply grown as performers, as writers. I by no means deliberate on being this storyteller. I by no means wished to be an writer, however we’re writing a narrative. There’s characters, there’s occasions, there’s locations and issues. I can’t contradict myself in order that simply naturally got here with it.
Kaonashi is a hodge podge of various genres. You began as a metalcore band, now there’s lots of progressive steel and emo in there. Do you suppose being a band that’s arduous to pidgeonhole has helped you or held you again at instances?
I feel it’s been useful. To say maintain again may be very pessimistic; I don’t suppose it’s held us again. Anybody that wasn’t going to love it wouldn’t prefer it any extra if we had been easy. They had been going to hate it regardless; it’s separated the true from the pretend in a manner. In case you like us, you’ll settle for us for who we’re and we’re simply eclectic individuals, we simply take from lots of locations. I feel it’s helped as a result of it’s attracted the proper viewers to us.
Once I see individuals speak in regards to the band in individual or on-line, individuals really feel very linked to the music and to the tales. It looks as if it’s touchdown with the viewers it’s on the lookout for.
It took years of refinement. We put it out for the entire world, half of the world mentioned “no” and two p.c of the world mentioned “sure.” I really feel like that course of solely comes from milling and touring over and over, discovering these individuals.
Would you say that in depth touring and doing exhibits with bands like Protest the Hero has affected the way in which you method writing or doing issues?
It completely has. Earlier than, it was me simply attempting to beg the world: “Please hearken to me. Please look in my path, I make music and I promise it’s adequate for you hearken to,” and now we actually have an viewers.
I can’t lie, I write music for myself. None of it’s contrived, however I’ve that in thoughts, the truth that there’s a child in Scotland who has each document or a child in Fort Wayne, who has a tattoo. These items are on my thoughts whereas that wasn’t even the case to start with. It’s inevitable I really feel like, to have these issues have an effect on your writing. I simply attempt to preserve it as near the supply as I can.
