Bonito Generation
Bonito Generation is the debut studio album by British indie pop band Kero Kero Bonito.[2] A follow-up to the 2014 mixtape, Intro Bonito,[2] this album was released via Double Denim Records on 21 October 2016.[2] Bonito Generation produced six singles: "Picture This", "Lipslap", "Break", "Graduation", "Trampoline", and "Fish Bowl" (the song "Forever Summer Holiday", initially released as its own single in 2017, was later included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of the album). Music videos were created for "Lipslap",[3] "Break",[4] and "Trampoline".[5]
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| Released | 21 October 2016 | |||
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| Length | 36:28 | |||
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| Kero Kero Bonito chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Bonito Generation | ||||
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Background
Following the release of their debut mixtape Intro Bonito in 2014, Kero Kero Bonito made plans to write an album with producers affiliated with the record label PC Music that was "a bit more songwriter-y, rather than just disjointed basslines and riffs."[6] A record was planned for release in 2015,[7] but in October of that year they disclosed to Stereogum journalist James Rettig that they were still "figuring out what kind of statement they wanted to make" with their first studio album.[8] Bonito Generation was completed at the beginning of August 2016, having been in the works for over a year.[9]
Composition
Bonito Generation has been described to be an electropop,[10] J-pop,[11] and synth-pop record,[12] with influences from electro, dancehall, video game music, 90s dance, hip hop, and K-pop.[13][14][15][11][16] It has also been compared to the hyperpop sounds of PC Music and Sophie.[16] Themes of the record also touch upon Instagram, hearing a catchy song on the radio, trampolines, waking up, childlike perspective upon day-to-day existential crises, and the curiosity of youth.[11][13]
Bonito Generation was re-released on vinyl by Polyvinyl Record Co. on 11 January 2019.[17]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10[18] |
| Metacritic | 81/100[19] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [16] |
| Clash | 9/10[11] |
| DIY | [15] |
| The Guardian | [14] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5[20] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [21] |
Bonito Generation received widespread acclaim upon its release. Based on seven reviews, the aggregates review website Metacritic awarded Bonito Generation an 81 out of 100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Heather Phares wrote, "Packed with breezy, witty, should-be hits, Bonito Generation is a winning mix of subversive art and genuine heart."[16] Joe Rivers of Clash stated, "The production is disarmingly joyous and, thanks to a predilection for early '90s dance, some of the tracks here are absolute bangers."[11] Jamie Milton of DIY magazine opined that the band had "perfected the quick fix formula" with the album, which included "a dozen giant would-be singles".[15] While Milton wrote that the album "crams together a bunch of massive singles, melted into a sometimes grating dose of glucose," the review concluded that "that's the compromise for penning twelve monster hits."[15] Milton also complimented the band for not "taking the piss" with the album and instead earnestly embracing their act.[15]
Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian wrote that "Their no-fat nuggets have the hyper-slickness of kawaii J-pop, while harking back to an era (the 90s, obv) when high-concept chart hits were as ubiquitous as boy bands' curtains".[14] However, she noted, "Their songs are best when they stop being so satirically cutesy and zip somewhere else."[14]
Track listing
Credits adapted from ACE Repertory.[22]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Waking Up" |
| 2:57 |
| 2. | "Heard a Song" | Lobban | 3:19 |
| 3. | "Graduation" |
| 3:19 |
| 4. | "Fish Bowl" |
| 1:45 |
| 5. | "Big City" |
| 2:52 |
| 6. | "Break" |
| 3:17 |
| 7. | "Lipslap" |
| 3:39 |
| 8. | "Try Me" |
| 3:29 |
| 9. | "Paintbrush" |
| 0:57 |
| 10. | "Trampoline" |
| 4:03 |
| 11. | "Picture This" |
| 3:23 |
| 12. | "Hey Parents" |
| 3:22 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Forever Summer Holiday" |
| 3:35 |
| 14. | "Picture This" (Felicita Remix) |
| 2:55 |
| 15. | "Fish Bowl" (Frankie Cosmos Remix) |
| 1:44 |
| 16. | "Heard a Song" (CFCF Remix) | Lobban | 4:05 |
| 17. | "Trampoline" (Saint Etienne Remix) |
| 3:48 |
| 18. | "Lipslap" (Makeness Remix) |
| 3:57 |
| 19. | "Break" (Jonah Baseball Remix) |
| 2:24 |
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US World Albums (Billboard)[24] | 9 |
| US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[25] | 15 |
References
- ^ "Kero Kero Bonito – Fish Bowl (September 2017) – Vinyl Postcard Record Club | VinylPost.co".
- ^ a b c Gaca, Anna (14 October 2016). "New Music: Kero Kero Bonito – Bonito Generation". Spin. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ Hunt, El (7 March 2016). "Sick beat: Kero Kero Bonito get their sitcom hats on in 'Lipslap' video". DIY. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ Brodsky, Rachel (13 June 2016). "Kero Kero Bonito Take a Much-Deserved 'Break' in New Video". Spin. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ Gotrich, Lars (25 October 2016). "Is Life A Total Bore? Jump On Kero Kero Bonito's 'Trampoline'". NPR. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "Next: Kero Kero Bonito". Dummy Mag. 29 August 2014. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Lismore, Kate (13 February 2015). "Kero Kero Bonito: trading mp3s for sick beats". DIY. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Rettig, James (20 October 2016). "Kero Kero Bonito's Radical Positivity Pop". Stereogum. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Richards, Will (19 October 2016). "My Generation: Kero Kero Bonito". DIY. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ Pearis, Bill (14 October 2016). "listen to Kero Kero Bonito's new LP Bonito Generation; Ice Choir and Skylar Spence opening NYC show". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Rivers, Joe (27 October 2016). "Kero Kero Bonito – Bonito Generation". Clash. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ Farrell, Margaret (16 October 2018). "Kero Kero Bonito: Time 'n' Place". Pitchfork. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
- ^ a b Jacobs, Mick (27 June 2021). "Review: Kero Kero Bonito, Bonito Graduation". Pretty Much Amazing. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d Hutchinson, Kate (20 October 2016). "Kero Kero Bonito: Bonito Generation review – no-fat nuggets of schoolyard dancehall". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Milton, Jamie (20 October 2016). "Kero Kero Bonito – Bonito Generation". DIY. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "Bonito Generation – Kero Kero Bonito". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "Bonito Generation by Kero Kero Bonito". Rough Trade. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
- ^ "Bonito Generation by Kero Kero Bonito reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
- ^ a b "Bonito Generation by Kero Kero Bonito Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
- ^ owl beanie (11 May 2017). "Review: Kero Kero Bonito – Bonito Generation review". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
- ^ Levinson, Leah. "Kero Kero Bonito – Bonito Generation". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
- ^ "ACE Repertory – Kero Kero Bonito Ltd".
- ^ インターナショナルTANOSHIIサウンドのイギリス3人組Kero Kero Bonito、ソニーミュージックから7/12デビューアルバムリリース＆サマソニ出演決定！ [British trio of international TANOSHII sound, Kero Kero Bonito, 7/12 debut album release from Sony Music & Summer Sonic appearance!] (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
- ^ "Kero Kero Bonito Chart History (World Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- ^ "Kero Kero Bonito Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
External links
- Bonito Generation at Discogs