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At the turn of the century, Geoff Farina, Jeff Goddard,and Gavin McCarthy—known to their modest butardent fan base as Karate—were at a crossroads. Thetrio had weathered the departure of a founding member, recorded three well-regarded albums, andtoured two continents extensively, but were still working pick-up jobs as technical writers, delivery drivers, and screenprinters. Each of them was coming to grips with both road weariness and adegree of hearing loss. “Part of me was envious of Eamonn Vitt when he left Karate in 1997 to pursue a medical career,” Farina said.Those first three albums—Karate, In Place of Real Insight,andThe BedIs in the Ocean—were contemporary classics during emo’s late second wave,setting a slower pace against that of their rambunctious peers.