Written by: Griffen Clark
Rating: 7.0 / 10
The genre of synth pop can have many levels, and more times than others, the artists within the genre tend to reach for greater heights and arena-level grandiosity. Kero Kero Bonito, on the other hand, like to keep things simple and just want to DJ your house party with a few of your friends. This short and sweet (emphasize the sweet part) EP of 6 songs titled Intro Bonito isn’t rewriting the rules of electronic music or taking huge risks by any means, but that doesn’t take away from the sheer joy you will experience when jamming along to this.
For starters, Kero Kero Bonito is a UK group consisting of three people; Vocalist Sarah Midori Perry, and producers Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled. Even though I made it sound like this is a simple EP, there are some things about it that will certainly turn heads. First off, Perry nearly does an even split of English and Japanese lyrics. For some listeners, this could maybe cause a bit of audible whiplash, but I personally loved this aspect about the EP. It’s quite evident the group is influenced by many contemporary J-Pop artists like Perfume or Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Second of all, it’s apparent that the two producers composing the music are Nintendo lovers, as a lot of the samples used on the EP come straight out of some classic Nintendo 64 games, the most obvious one being on the track “Sick Beat” which uses the level starting music from Super Mario 64 (“Let’s a-go!”). This song also has one of my favorite lyrics on the EP. Perry sings the line, “No matter how many hours a day, I can win at any game, whether you’re a boy or a girl or a super computer. It’s often said I should get some girly hobbies instead, but that thought fills me with dread. I’m not into sewing, baking, dress-making, not eating, bitching, submitting”. Within this track of back and forth English to Japanese rapping, Perry manages to write an insanely catchy chorus about being herself and breaking female stereotypes.
The other standout track on this release is the very first song “Picture This”. This is easily the most sugary, memorable pop song on the album, and its simply all about taking pictures. The track is so innocent, that instead of using the term “selfie”, Kerry instead sings, with the help of Lobban and Bulled’s clever sound effect use, “I check that no one else is around (head turn sound effect), and I take a picture of myself (click!)”. This ultra-nostalgic camera anthem is so undeniable sweet and accessible, it’s shocking that Instagram hasn’t used it in an ad already.
But setting the cuteness aside, Intro Bonito tends to get a little unimaginative as the record goes on. “My Party” and “Kero Kero Bonito” are both very repetitive songs that I would rather just skip when listening to the EP. I can see the two songs going over very well at a live show. In fact, I think “Kero Kero Bonito” serves that very purpose; to play at a live performance with its simple call and response structure. However, the last song “Build It Up” thankfully ends the album on a high note with very playful production and even some key changes thrown in there.
So all in all, this release gets a 10/10 on the cuteness scale (or Kawaii scale if you so choose), but is lacking that longevity and returning factor I expect out of great releases. At least half of the songs on it are extremely addicting and will fit perfectly in your weekend party playlist, but that might be all you need out of the Intro Bonito.
RIYL: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Sophie, AG Cook
FCC: Sick Beat
