Karate Make It Fit
Karate's Make It Fit returns the band after a seventeen-year silence with a reunion record that balances punk energy, jazz-post-rock craft, and a measure of maturity. Across professional reviews the collection earns a broadly favorable reception, with a 75.67/100 consensus score compiled from three reviews that frame the album as both a welcome renewal and, for some, a cautious disappointment.
Critics consistently praise the album's standout songs and its tension-and-release dynamics. “Cannibals” emerges across reviews as a highlight, praised for its anthem-like riffing and social critique; “Around the Dial” is repeatedly noted for its dub-inflected, mellow burn; “Fall to Grace” attracts attention for gilded, serpentine guitar work. Reviewers commend the record's craftsmanship, its blend of jazz and post-rock textures, and the band's ability to write concise mid-tempo rock that still holds moments of restrained brilliance.
That said, the critical narrative splits. Some critics celebrate Make It Fit as a triumphant comeback that widens Karate's audience without trading away legacy - calling tracks like “Cannibals” and “Around the Dial” immediate and replay-worthy - while others find the reunion leaning toward comfortable, '70s-tinged riff rock that only intermittently recaptures the restless inventiveness of the band's prime. Taken together, the professional reviews suggest Make It Fit is worth listening to for its standout tracks and careful musicianship, even if its adventurousness is measured rather than incendiary.
Below, read the full reviews to weigh whether Make It Fit ranks among Karate's best work or functions as a solid, mature continuation of their legacy.
Critics' Top Tracks
The standout songs that made critics take notice
Make It Fit
1 mention
"Make It Fit is the opposite of a cynical cash-in."— Tinnitist
Around the Dial
2 mentions
"“Around the Dial” sees the band at their most mellow, minimalist, and moving"— Under The Radar
general songs
1 mention
"Five of its concise, jazzy, punky tracks come in around 2:30."— Tinnitist
Make It Fit is the opposite of a cynical cash-in.
Track Ratings
How critics rated each track, relative to this album (0-100). Only tracks that made critics feel something are rated.
Defendants
Bleach the Scene
Cannibals
Liminal
Rattle the Pipes
Fall to Grace
Around the Dial
People Ain’t Folk
Three Dollar Bill
Silence, Sound
What Critics Are Saying
Deep insights from 4 critics who reviewed this album
Critic's Take
After seventeen years away, Karate deliver a startlingly strong return with Make It Fit, a record that foregrounds its best songs - “Cannibals”, “Rattle the Pipes”, and “Around the Dial” - without sounding like a nostalgia act. The reviewer's voice is admiring and precise, noting how “Cannibals” is an alternate-universe anthem while “Rattle the Pipes” pairs Minutemen thrills with restrained brilliance, and how the mellow hush of “Around the Dial” moves the listener. It is praised as immediate and replay-demanding, a triumphant, remarkable comeback that widens the band’s audience while retaining their jazz-post-rock identity.
Key Points
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“Cannibals” stands out as anthemic and emotionally vivid, making it the best single highlight mentioned.
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The album’s core strengths are its blend of jazz and post-rock textures, memorable melodies, and convincing recommitment after a long hiatus.
Themes
Critic's Take
On Make It Fit Karate attempt a return that often tips into comfortable, suburban-rock territory rather than recapturing their old spark. The reviewer's ear lingers on “Fall to Grace” for its "gilded and serpentine" guitar, and on “Around the Dial” as a "dub-inflected burner," which together read as the album's best tracks. Yet the piece argues the band more often sounds like veterans leaning on '70s riff rock, so while fans searching for the best songs on Make It Fit should sample “Fall to Grace” and “Around the Dial”, the record rarely reaches the restless inventiveness of their prime. The final close with “Silence, Sound” is noted as a fitting, quietly explosive finish, but overall the reunion is judged disappointing because it only intermittently hints at the old magic.
Key Points
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The best song is "Fall to Grace" for its gilded, serpentine guitar that reaches deep into the song.
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The album's core strength is the players' chemistry and occasional flashes of adventurous guitar work, but it often settles into unremarkable, veteran riff-rock.
Themes
Critic's Take
Karate's Make It Fit feels like a seasoned band picking up right where it left off, full of craft and careful tension. The review highlights “Cannibals” as emblematic, praising its roots-savvy riffs and social critique, and singles out “Liminal” for stretching into sorrowful jazz-rock expanses. The writing praises the record's concise, jazzy, punky songs and the group's knack for trapping and releasing tension, which makes searches for the best songs on Make It Fit point to “Cannibals” and “Liminal” as essential listens. Overall the tone is appreciative and admiring, framing the reunion as both daring and heartfelt rather than a cynical cash-in.
Key Points
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Cannibals is the best song because the reviewer calls it "emblematic" and praises its roots-savvy riffs and social critique.
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The album's core strengths are careful craft, tension-and-release dynamics, and mature songwriting from a reunited band.