Puget Sound–based punk band karōshi is the sound of blood, sweat, and tears—and, as always, an ode to life in the Pacific Northwest.
Released on September 21, spoils, consequence + charity is their second full-length album, and their first under the Grenade Bunny label, co-founded by karōshi lead singer Peren V.
The 11-song LP blends post-hardcore bliss with shades of punk, emo, and grunge for fans of the ’90s Seattle scene. If you’re really picking things apart, there’s even a touch of something a little mathy here and there.
Sonically, the album is consistent with their past releases—angsty and loud, building simple hooks into complex rumbles of sound, then breaking them back down until they’re simple again.
The songs place emphasis on the vocals, which have always been strong but show clear growth since their 2020 album LIFE IS A KILLER. The tracks are anything but repetitive in structure, keeping the listener engaged from start to finish. My only qualm is that I wish the album could have been a little longer.
There are quite a few catchy numbers, but when it comes to sing-along potential, the third track, “bloodletting,” does everything right. The hook and verse share the same simple melody, making it instantly hum-worthy after just one listen.
The track “hide + seek” is another standout, in a completely different way—it begs to be chanted at the top of your lungs when he screams, “you really should have been someone by now.” On a spiteful day, it could be a song for the person who did you wrong; on a day spent basking in humility, it could just as easily be said in the mirror.
With many of the songs, it's a matter of perspective, which is not a strength that every songwriter can boast.
Standing out in its poignancy, the sixth track, "new hearts," displays the dichotomy between hopelessness/hope with a visceral fervency that expertly connects the lyrics to the instrumentation.
Though the lyrics may hint at personal events the listener can only partially piece together, they also carry a sense of relatability that could resonate with anyone.
The tenth track, "pretty bird," stands out as a lyrical masterpiece.
As the second-to-last song on the album, it draws itself apart completely due to its explicitness. Starting with "Congratulations, all of Seattle! You sneered and called the other side wrong," it serves as a message to the band’s hometown and critiques the performative activism that has divided communities during a time of severe political turmoil.
Though the words are displayed artistically, they hide absolutely nothing behind the guise of poetry. It's not hateful, nor a self-exclusionary put-down, but the type of constructive criticism that is meant to strengthen a community. Hopefully, it can.
"If you were your neighbor, what would you do?"
Overall, the lyrics lean heavily on themes of self-reflection, futility, and disillusionment that come with the passage of time. It's often quite dark, but effective in narration.
Many elements of his LP feel like a callback to some of the linchpins of the post-hardcore scene: specifically Lync and Fugazi, both of which use a similar combination of convoluted lyrics and gritty distortion to relay a message that feels passionate, whether you know exactly what they're saying or not.
One of the strongest aspects of this album as a whole is how emotional it is, which can easily hold weight for younger people, but there's also a mature perspective that heavily evokes nostalgia and really ties everything together—this combination is what makes karōshi sound like karōshi.
Though the future is balancing on the tip of a needle and the bowl of a spoon, 'spoils, consequence + charity' has a good chance to stand the test of time, especially due to the way that the band interacts with their local community, both in and out of song, in a way that feels truly impactful.
We haven't even reached October yet, but spoils, consequence + charity, is definitely a contender for my personal album of the year. I recommend giving this one a listen.
