Kero Kero Bonito - Time 'n' Place (Album Review)

There is no shortage of interesting indie pop music right now and this album proves it.

Two years since the synthpop debut Bonito Generation, the band are back with a shift in their sonic palette. From the opening song "Outside" you are confronted by some surprising guitars and the immediately interesting vocals from Sarah Bonito. On this album it focuses on more of an indie rock and experimental music, whereas the debut was more of a J-pop and synthpop sound. This change is no less exciting, and with excellent singles and enjoyable deep cuts there is no drag created by their sonic changes.

The guitars may be surprising but they work very well, often sounding similar to bands like Wolf Alice and Mount Eerie. They drive a couple of the songs earlier on in the album, whereas later on it seems it's the synths and beats leading them. In this way it feels like a bit of a transition album and although this doesn't hinder it I get the sense that in the future they'll go in a more experimental and alternative rock direction, hopefully becoming one of the new bands to grab the attention of the Internet to show off their fresh sounds.

Perhaps the most brave song is the lead single "Only Acting", which tears apart what a final chorus to a song should be, especially on a single. It cuts out after just one line of the chorus, then comes back in but with many strange and unique effects and sounds that make you question at points what exactly you're listening to. I absolutely love this borderline noise approach, love the way it changes the song and challenges your expectations of an indie rock song.

The only real disappointment is the song "Dump" which is just quite dull and doesn't rise up to be anything special. Every other song has its own slightly different feel, even if they share lots of similar sounds. This makes the album feel coherent and consistently engaging.

Crazy synthesizers and effects help build up a fresh sound layered over this interesting indie rock album. The guitars and drums are perfect, but perhaps a little underused towards the end of this fantastic album. Overall, it's getting a strong 8 out of 10 from me.

Best Songs:
Outside, Time Today, Only Acting, Flyway, Make Believe, If I'd Known, Swimming

Worst Song/s:
Dump