Houston and Manila-based art rock outfit fitterkarma is making waves on local streaming charts with their visceral depiction of falling in love in thematic, sonic, and visual dimensions.

Think of classic horror-themed songwriting ventures from bands such as the Cranberries with "Zombie," and other bands who don't really lean into heavier genres like death metal or hardcore rock.

We now get why fitterkarma's "Pag-Ibig  ay Kanibalismo II," an endearing track using cannibalism as a metaphor for love, saw the success and viral attention it accumulated in the past nine months.

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The track was put out ingeniously on Valentine's Day this year and has skyrocketed to popularity on platforms such as TikTok and on Instagram reels.

fitterkarma does not really do overly grotesque imagery and even has rather warm tones with the prototypical early 2000s, Kitchie Nadal-era sounding blend of acoustic and electric guitars, with sweet-sounding vocals. This is also with the occasional hardcore drops that would cultivate moshpits in live gigs.

"Ibabalik kita nang buong-buo. Pangako 'yun sa'yo. Sa’yo lang ang puso ko. Kahit kainin mo. Magdo-droga tayo. Kimi lang, bawal 'yon (Kimi lang, bawal 'yon)," are just some of the tongue-in-cheek lyrics you can expect from the band.

It's quite an earworm with the melodic rhythmic guitar work and a hook that is easy to sing and isn't in a register that is too high. The song does sound like a Filipno indie rock song that is really well done and radio-ready.

Building on its viral success and expanding a catalogue of cheeky, edgy, and macabre music, fitterkarma put out the folk-rock "Sumpa" last October. Listening to this felt like a seance of sorts for a cursed love and a devotional submission to a lover gone wrong.

The band isn't afraid to explore themes such as a masochistic type of love leaning towards an obsessive and dark relationship. The juxtaposition of being devoted to a person and an overwhelming desperation is what makes the outfit's songwriting chops all the more compelling.  A toxic attachment romanticized through enchanting melodies and traditionally rooted mysticism within Philippine culture.

While others may find songs such as the "Cannibalism love song" as a tad bit cheesy, we see fitterkarma as a band that has the potential to be needle movers in the local music industry with their songwriting and production only bound to become even more potent in the near future.

We will be standing watch to see what sort of other surrealist stories fitterkarma has in its pipeline or possibly even an album on he horizon.