Foundations: Kero Kero Bonito

Picking apart the strands of their future-pop rebellion...

There's no other group quite like Kero Kero Bonito.

The London three-piece are future-facing in their approach, and internationalist in their outlook – deft rebel-pop that arrives packed with colour, it's an addictive stream of sensory overload.

Vocalist Sarah Midori Perry and producers and multi-instrumentalists Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled pursue a solitary agenda, one that nods towards Japanese and South Korean culture while remaining rooted to London.

Recently signalling their return with vivid new blaster ‘21/04/20’, the trio follow this with the release of brand new EP 'Civilisation II'.

Out now, it takes Kero Kero Bonito in a host of unexplored directions, emphasising once more that fans should expect the unexpected.

To toast the release of 'Civilisation II' we hooked up with Kero Kero Bonito to dig into their Foundations, exploring the albums that truly made a difference to their lives.

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Animal Collective – 'Strawberry Jam'

Jamie: "I went on holiday on the Norfolk Broads in 2008 and forgot my CDs. Luckily in the Walkman was Strawberry Jam! Its fluidity, pace, prettiness and lyrics wired my brain in an inescapable way. To this day I can't hoover or wash up without thinking about the song 'Chores'…"

– – –

808 State – '808:88:98'

Gus: "I first heard 808 State on the old HMV website when I was 13, via a 30-second Real Audio preview of 'Pacific State', having seen them mentioned alongside Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses. I remember the feeling it gave me so clearly – a mysterious technicolour intrigue that rose from the depths of my consumer electronics-fried mind."

"No record shaped my nascent musical identity like this CD of 808 State's greatest hits: lush, imaginative club music made largely with plastic grey boxes."

– – –

Avril Lavigne – 'Let Go'

Sarah: "'Let Go' was one of the first CDs I bought growing up. This album was an instant classic that prefaced an entire decade – I have so many nostalgic feelings listening to it. My favourite is 'Nobody’s Fool'."

– – –

Halcali – 'Halcali Bacon'

Gus: "'Halcali Bacon' is the first album by Halcali, a duo of then-15-year-old girls from Tokyo who demonstrated unreal rap dexterity over very smart post-Shibuya-kei beats, broke the Japanese Top Ten and quit the music industry a decade later.

"When we formed KKB, we wanted to make music that embraced Sarah's Japanese and English bilingualism; though we've explored different styles since, it's clear on our early records how Halcali Bacon suggested we could do that."

– – –

Talking Heads – 'Remain In Light'

Gus: "This is a classic we were introduced to in our teens that ended up influencing where KKB is at now. Touring our "rock" album 'Time 'n' Place' in 2018, our drummer Jenny put this on in the van."

"For whatever reason, its massed mantra-like vocals, repetitive grooves and odd electronic textures felt vital in that moment, and so began an exploration that resulted in the lost world art pop of the 'Civilisation' EPs."

– – –

'Civilisation II' EP is out now.

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