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Kero Kero Bonito

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Kero Kero Bonito
Kero Kero Bonito performing at Indietracks in 2019
Kero Kero Bonito performing at Indietracks in 2019
Background information
OriginSouth London, England
Genres
Years active2013–present
Labels
Members
Websitekerokerobonito.com

Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) are a British indie pop band formed in London in 2013. The band consists of vocalist Sarah Midori Perry and producers and multi-instrumentalists Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled.

Their musical style consists of indie pop,[1] electropop,[2] dance-rock,[3] hyperpop,[4] and bubblegum pop.[5] The band's earlier work was influenced by J-pop such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, as well as dancehall, and video game music;[6] however, following their 2018 EP TOTEP their sound and influences diversified, with their second studio album, Time 'n' Place, being influenced by indie rock contemporaries such as Mount Eerie and My Bloody Valentine.[7][8] Perry, who is of mixed Japanese and British ancestry, sings and raps in both Japanese and English.

History

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Jamie Bulled (left) and Gus Lobban (right)
Sarah Midori Perry performing the song "Break" from the album Bonito Generation, live in Dublin (2018)

Lobban and Bulled grew up in Bromley in the suburbs south of London and met in their teens.[9] In search for a new band member, they posted advertisements, including on MixB, an online bulletin board for Japanese expatriates, largely due to their interest in "Japanese rap".[9][10] Perry was one of the first respondents. They selected her based on her background in art, and their interest in her bilingual ability.[10] Although she had collaborated with a Japanese girl group previously,[10] Perry did not have a background in professional singing; instead, she was interested in collaborating with Lobban and Bulled simply because she "wanted to try it".[11]

The trio called themselves Kero Kero Bonito; its meaning is intentionally ambiguous, with one derivation from the Japanese onomatopoeic words for frog croaks and a type of fish.[12] Other meanings include the Brazilian quero-quero bird while "bonito" means "pretty" in both Portuguese and Spanish, thus "Pretty Quero-quero" – or even "I want, I want pretty" in a rough translation.[13]

The group released their debut mixtape Intro Bonito through Double Denim Records in August 2014.[14][15] They wrote many of their songs featured on the mixtape using a Casio SA-46 mini-keyboard.[16][17] The band contributed "Flamingo" to Ryan Hemsworth's compilation EP shh#ffb6c1.[18]

In September 2014, Kero Kero Bonito released Bonito Recycling, a compilation of Intro Bonito remixes by artists including Danny L Harle and Spazzkid.[19] The band released the single "Build It Up", on which Perry sings in a call and response pattern, in November 2014.[20]

On 10 August 2015, Kero Kero Bonito announced their first North American tour, which took place during October 2015.[21][22]

On 21 October 2016, the group released their first album Bonito Generation through Double Denim.[23]

On 2 February 2017, the YouTuber Berd published a parody animation of the band's single "Flamingo".[24] The video went viral, and became an internet meme, surpassing 25 million views as of April 2023.

On 12 February 2018, the band released the single "Only Acting". It departs from the band's previous electronic sound with a darker, rock-influenced style.[25] Later, on 20 February 2018, the band released the EP TOTEP. The EP included "Only Acting", and other songs following the rock-influenced style.

Sarah Midori Perry looking at an animatronic bird
Sarah Midori Perry and Jennifer Walton performing in Hoboken, NJ in 2018

On 13 April 2018, the band performed their first 'full band' show. This involved two extra members, James Rowland on electric guitar and Jennifer Walton on drums and sampler, as well as Lobban on drums and keyboards and Bulled on bass guitar. Rowland previously played guitar on TOTEP. This change in live line-up reflected their change in sound following the EP.[citation needed]

On 8 May 2018, the band released the single, "Time Today", and announced their second studio album, Time 'n' Place, which was released on 1 October 2018. The album was sonically a significant departure from their previous studio album, and was inspired by radical changes in the band's personal lives following their tour cycle for their debut album.[citation needed]

On 8 July 2019, the band uploaded "KKB Life" to YouTube, a vlog video recorded during the Time 'n' Place era, announcing that a new era is starting. They announced a North America and Europe tour shortly after and released the single "When the Fires Come" in September 2019. Later on in the month, before the tour started, they also released their fourth EP Civilisation I.[26]

In 2020, the band wrote and performed "It's Bugsnax!", the theme song for the video game Bugsnax, which was featured in its announcement trailer.[27]

In April 2021, Kero Kero Bonito released their fifth EP, Civilisation II.[28]

In September 2021, Kero Kero Bonito released "Rom Com 2021", a remix of Soccer Mommy's single "Rom Com 2004". The song was released under the 23rd instalment of Adult Swim's Singles Series.[29]

In August 2023, the band released "Legendary", the official theme song for the Pokémon World Championships.[30]

Band members

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  • Sarah Bonito – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Gus Lobban – production, drums, keyboards, backing vocals
  • Jamie Bulled – production, keyboards, bass guitar

Discography

[edit]
Main article: Kero Kero Bonito discography

Studio albums

Mixtapes

Extended plays

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Association Category Nominated Work Result Ref
2019 Libera Award Best Outlier Album Time 'n' Place Nominated [31]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sauers, Camille (19 July 2018). "Kero Kero Bonito To Bring Weird British Bubblegum To San Antonio". San Antonio Current. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  2. ^ Gaca, Anna (14 October 2016). "New Music: Kero Kero Bonito – Bonito Generation". Spin. Archived from the original on 28 August 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  3. ^ "KERO KERO BONITO – SURPRISE! IT'S AN ALBUM". Flaunt. 1 October 2018. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  4. ^ Raymer, Miles (25 November 2014). Hyperpop geniuses Kero Kero Bonito made us a playlist. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ Conde, Chris (9 May 2019). "UK Bubble Gum Pop Rockers Kero Kero Bonito Gear Up for November Show in San Antonio". San Antonio Current. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  6. ^ Mack, Tommy (28 August 2014). "DiScover: Kero Kero Bonito". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito are smiling through it all". The Fader. Archived from the original on 1 June 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2018.,
  8. ^ "kero kero bonito finds solace in chaotic sounds". i-D. 23 October 2018. Archived from the original on 28 November 2018. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  9. ^ a b Song, Sandra (16 September 2014). "Going Global with Kero Kero Bonito". Impose. Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  10. ^ a b c Bulut, Selim (29 August 2014). "Next: Kero Kero Bonito". Dummy. Archived from the original on 1 September 2014.
  11. ^ Aroseti, Rachel (7 April 2017). "Kero Kero Bonito: 'It's just a bassline, vocals, super clear message and that's it'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 9 October 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  12. ^ Lester, Paul (28 November 2014). "New band of the week: Kero Kero Bonito (No 33)". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  13. ^ Lawrence, Iyas (18 November 2016). "Kero Kero Bonito Tell Us Why Positivity Is Punk AF". Vice. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 27 July 2017.
  14. ^ Raymer, Miles (13 August 2014). "Get hooked on Kero Kero Bonito's 'Sick Beat'". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  15. ^ McDermott, Patrick D. (2 September 2014). "Hear London Producer bo en's Cutely Delirious Remix of Kero Kero Bonito". The Fader. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  16. ^ "Songminer with Alaska Reid - Ep. 7 - Gus Lobban | Part 2". RSS.com. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  17. ^ Hunt, El (24 December 2014). "Dear Santa... Love Kero Kero Bonito". DIY. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito share new free download on Ryan Hemsworth compilation". DIY. 25 September 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  19. ^ Cliff, Aimee (1 October 2014). "Stream Kero Kero Bonito's 6-track remix 'Recycling' EP". Dazed. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  20. ^ Carrasco, Alexa (17 November 2014). "Listen to Kero Kero Bonito's New Track 'Built it Up'". Paste. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  21. ^ Bonito, Kero Kero (10 August 2015). "We announced a US tour and released a new song (s/o @gorillavsbear)". Twitter.com. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  22. ^ Brown, Harley (10 August 2015). "Kero Kero Bonito Share Jaunty 'Chicken'". Spin. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  23. ^ Richards, Will (19 October 2016). "Interview: My Generation: Kero Kero Bonito". DIY. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  24. ^ "Flamingo". Archived from the original on 13 February 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2020 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito drops new single and video, "Only Acting"". The FADER. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  26. ^ KKB Life, archived from the original on 31 January 2020, retrieved 2 October 2019
  27. ^ "Bugsnax Song Writer Explains How Band Kero Kero Bonito Crafted The PS5 Game's Catchy Theme Song". GameSpot. 28 June 2020. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito reveal '21/04/20' video". DIY. 21 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 December 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  29. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito and Soccer Mommy share "rom com 2021"". The FADER. 27 September 2021. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  30. ^ DeVille, Chris (11 August 2023). "Kero Kero Bonito Share "Legendary (2023 Pokémon World Championships Theme)"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  31. ^ "A2IM Announces 2019 Libera Award Nominees". Broadway World. 28 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 July 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
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