KARIO

The debut album from KARIO, Audition is a vessel for the kind of revelatory pop songs that contain a rare constellation of elements: arcane wisdom and unfettered emotion, poetic observation, and wide-eyed philosophy. Named for its mononymous frontman, the collective features some of the most imaginative and idiosyncratic musicians in indie-rock and pop today. When met with the edifying perspective of Kario’s songwriting, the result is a body of work that distinctly echoes the frenetic energy of the current moment, but ultimately imparts a far more enduring truth about the endless complexities of the human experience.

One of the most immediately magnetic tracks on Audition, “Captive” speaks to the collective’s extraordinary capacity to surprise even themselves. “‘Captive’ was never intended to be a love song—so much as a riff on a kind of Stockholm syndrome: the embrace of the captor by the captive as a way of claiming freedom inside captivity,” says Kario, who co-wrote “Captive” with producer, Chris Blood. In a prime example of the potent contrast that propels the album, “Captive” twists that sentiment into something euphoric, gloriously ornamented in delirious disco grooves, rapturous harmonies, and lyrics that deftly belie a sense of ruinous desperation (“You can lock me in your future/And throw away the key”).



www.officialKARIO.com
© 2022 Lepel Records
www.lepelrecords.com