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The return of Karate after a twenty-year hiatus could have been a disaster. Reunions often are – middle-aged musicians attempting to recapture lightning in a bottle, their once-vital sound now feeling forced and nostalgic. But Boston's most cerebral post-hardcore outfit has defied expectations with *Unsolved*, an album that feels less like a comeback and more like a natural continuation of a conversation that was merely paused.

When Karate disbanded in 2005, they left behind a legacy that seemed impossible to replicate. Across six albums, Geoff Farina, Eamonn Vitt, and Gavin McCarthy had crafted a unique sound that borrowed jazz's sophistication, post-rock's dynamics, and indie rock's emotional directness. Their 2002 masterpiece *Some Boots* suggested a band at their creative peak, making their subsequent split all the more devastating for the faithful who understood that Karate occupied a space no other band could fill.

The intervening years saw the members pursue various projects – Farina's solo work, Vitt's continued musical explorations, McCarthy's ventures outside music – but none quite captured the alchemy that made Karate special. When they announced their reunion in 2022, followed by select live performances, the question wasn't whether they could still play their old material (they could, magnificently), but whether they could create something new that honoured their legacy without simply retreading familiar ground.

*Unsolved* answers that question emphatically. From the opening moments of "Defendants," it's clear this isn't a band going through the motions. Farina's guitar work retains its distinctive combination of technical precision and emotional weight, while his vocals carry the accumulated wisdom of two decades. The rhythm section of Vitt and McCarthy locks into those complex time signatures with the ease of old friends finishing each other's sentences, their interplay as intuitive as ever.

The album's standout tracks showcase Karate's ability to balance complexity with accessibility. "Some Boots" – yes, they've recycled the title, but it works as both callback and evolution – builds from whispered confessions to soaring declarations, Farina's guitar lines weaving intricate patterns around a deceptively simple emotional core. "Today or Tomorrow" finds the band at their most expansive, stretching a single melodic idea across seven minutes without ever losing focus or momentum. The song's central refrain – "today or tomorrow, we'll figure it out" – could serve as the album's thesis statement, a mature acceptance of uncertainty that feels hard-earned rather than resigned.

"Diazepam" represents perhaps the album's most adventurous moment, incorporating electronic elements and field recordings in ways that would have seemed unthinkable during Karate's original run. Yet it never feels like change for change's sake; instead, these additions serve the song's exploration of anxiety and medication, the digital glitches and ambient textures creating an unsettling backdrop for Farina's most vulnerable vocal performance.

The production, handled by the band themselves, strikes an ideal balance between clarity and warmth. Each instrument occupies its own space in the mix without sacrificing the sense of ensemble playing that has always been Karate's strength. The drums in particular benefit from this approach, McCarthy's subtle polyrhythms given room to breathe while never overwhelming the delicate interplay between guitar and bass.

Lyrically, *Unsolved* grapples with the passage of time and the weight of accumulated experience. These aren't songs about recapturing youth, but about navigating middle age with grace and honesty. Farina's words have always possessed a literary quality, but here they feel more direct, less concerned with clever wordplay than with authentic expression. The title track serves as the album's emotional centrepiece, its meditation on unresolved questions and persistent mysteries feeling both deeply personal and universally relatable.

What's most remarkable about *Unsolved* is how effortless it sounds. There's no sense of strain or desperation, no attempt to prove anything to anyone. Instead, Karate simply picks up where they left off, as if twenty years were merely an extended break between songs. The result is an album that satisfies longtime fans while remaining accessible to newcomers, a rare achievement that speaks to the enduring strength of their musical vision.

In an era of endless reunions and nostalgic cash grabs, *Unsolved* stands as proof that some bands truly are irreplaceable, and that the best returns are those that feel inevitable rather than calculated. Karate is back,