Kero Kero Bonito, Negative Gemini
Majestic Theatre 115 King St., Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Mia Sakai
Kero Kero Bonito
Despite being British, Kero Kero Bonito is full of all the technicolor exuberance of J-Pop. Sarah Midori Perry and her bandmates deliver an ecstatic take on dance pop that’s influenced in equal parts by pensive indie rock bands and video games. It might be the most millennial music ever made, and it rules. With Negative Gemini.
$20.
press release: Kero Kero Bonito are back. After the release of Time ‘n’ Place last year, the London-based bilingual art-pop band have a new EP titled Civilisation I which is available now everywhere. The songs are the band’s most ambitious work to date and were written, produced and recorded in the bedroom of KKB’s Gus Lobban. The EP explores themes from religion to the apocalypse as well as immediate threats like social division and climate change. Lobban explains "If Time 'n' Place was about mixing up adolescent nostalgia, contemporary millennial malaise and the daunting near future, Civilisation I blows up that timeline to cover the ancient past of primitive man (myths, cave art and tribalism), the large-scale situation facing humanity in 2019 and the distant future, when humans have been wiped from the face of Earth."
They are gearing up for another massive North American tour this Fall, and the new release was teased with “When The Fires Come.”
"When the Fires Come" by Kero Kero Bonito
"’When the Fires Come’ is about the worldwide wildfires heralding the seemingly imminent climate change apocalypse. It was partially inspired by our experience on tour in North California last year, when we got caught underneath the smoke cloud from the Camp Fire. The video was shot on the hottest day of 2019 in Britain. It is the first song of a new project.”
Praise for Kero Kero Bonito + Time ‘n’ Place:
"The trio adds indie rock and noise music to their electropop bread-and-butter, venturing into darker thematic territory." - The FADER
“On their sophomore album, the London trio animate songs about the complexity of memory and the promise of dreams with playful production choices” - Pitchfork
"The Open Road' is as giddy and gleeful as every KKB song, but like a lot of them, it’s also got a tinge of the bittersweet to it." - Stereogum
"...sticky sweet vocals...Even with [‘The Open Road’s’] vulnerable and sometimes wistful lyrics, the latest from KKB ends on a triumphant note. With shimmering, happy-go-lucky instrumentation throughout, the final stanza turns back to family and the personal desire to keep exploring." - Consequence of Sound
"There’s clarity, fun, and exhilarating experimentation within [Time ‘n’ Place]." - Noisey
"...existential themes and surrealistic textures..." - Bandcamp
"...wildly creatively sensibilities and melodic smarts." - Brooklyn Vegan
“On Time ‘N’ Place, Perry embraces a youthful mindset, pairing lyrics that harken back to childhood with glittering, chaotic synths." - Uproxx (20 Must-Hear Pop Albums of 2018)