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Kero Kero Bonito

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Kero Kero Bonito
Kero Kero Bonito performing in Los Angeles in November 2018; left to right: Sarah Midori Perry, Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled
Kero Kero Bonito performing in Los Angeles in November 2018; left to right: Sarah Midori Perry, Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled
Background information
OriginLondon, England, United Kingdom
Genres
Years active2011 (2011)–present
Labels
Members
  • Sarah Bonito
  • Gus Lobban
  • Jamie Bulled
Websitekerokerobonito.com

Kero Kero Bonito (KKB) are a British indie pop band from London. The band consists of vocalist Sarah Midori Perry (known by her stage name Sarah Bonito) and producers and multi-instrumentalists Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled. Their name's meaning is intentionally ambiguous, with one derivation from the Japanese onomatopoeic words for frog croaks and a type of fish.[4] Other meanings include the Brazilian quero-quero bird while "bonito" means "beautiful" in both Portuguese and Spanish, thus "Beautiful Quero-quero" – or even "I want, I want beautiful" in a rough translation.[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, the band's work following their 2018 EP TOTEP was influenced by indie rock bands such as Mount Eerie and My Bloody Valentine.[7][8] Perry, who is half-Japanese, sings and raps in both Japanese and English.

History

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 the suburbs south of London and went to school together.[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 group released their debut mixtape Intro Bonito through Double Denim Records in August 2014.[12][13] They wrote many of their songs featured on the mixtape using a Casio SA-45 mini-keyboard.[14] The band contributed "Flamingo" to Ryan Hemsworth's compilation EP shh#ffb6c1.[15]

In September 2014, Kero Kero Bonito released Bonito Recycling, a compilation of Intro Bonito remixes by artists including Danny L Harle and Spazzkid.[16] The band released the single "Build It Up", on which Perry sings in a call and response pattern, in November 2014.[17]

On 10 August 2015, Kero Kero Bonito announced their first North American tour, which took place during October 2015.[18]

On 21 October 2016, the group released their first album Bonito Generation through Double Denim Records.[19]

On 2 February 2017, the popular YouTuber 'Berd' published a parody animation of the band's single "Flamingo".[20] The video went viral, and became an internet meme, surpassing 20 million views as of October 2020.

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.[21] Later, on 20 February 2018, the band released the EP TOTEP. The EP included the aforementioned single Only Acting, and other songs following the rock-influenced style.

Cover image for Kane West's Western Beats EP
Sarah Midori Perry looking at an animatronic bird
Sarah Midori Perry and Jennifer Walton performing in Hoboken, NJ

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 lineup reflected their change in sound following the EP.

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.

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 American and Europe tour shortly after and released a new 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.[22]

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.[23]

Other projects

"Kane West" redirects here. Not to be confused with Kanye West.

Electronic musician Spazzkid was a fan of Kero Kero Bonito and enlisted Perry to rap on "Truly" from his 2014 Promise EP.[24] In 2015 she was featured on "Everyday", the debut single by producer Chroma-kei.[25]

Lobban also records music under the name Kane West.[26] He won a remix contest for Tiga's "Let's Go Dancing" with Audion. He contributed to PC Music's mix for DISown. He later released his Western Beats EP through the label.[27] Tiny Mix Tapes ranked the EP 31st on their list of "Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2014",[28] and Fact placed Western Beats 33rd on its year-end list.[29] The following year, his song "T.R.U.E.L.O.V.E." appeared on Folie Douce's second Confessions compilation.[30] In August 2015, Kane West released the EP Expenses Paid on Turbo Recordings.[31] Since 2016, Lobban has used this alias mainly to release remixes, with the exception of "Definitely Come Together", a collaboration with Cecile Believe[32][33] released through PC Music during their Month of Mayhem.

As well as Kane West, Lobban also releases solo work as Augustus, a project influenced heavily by Japanese city pop music. Under this name he has released an original song entitled "Vs." (as part of a promotional compilation for Zoom Lens), as well as cover versions of songs by GFOTY and Perfume. He also provides vocals on the song "Money Won't Pay" by fellow London musician bo en. In addition to these two projects, Lobban co-wrote and produced two tracks on Saint Etienne's 2017 album Home Counties.

Prior to Kero Kero Bonito, Bulled was a member of the band Kabogaeries. Since forming Kero Kero Bonito, Bulled now records music under the name Wharfwhit,[34] with the 2016 single 'Elbows' and 2017 albums 'Evidently' and 'WHARFWHAT!?'[35] released under this name.

Band members

  • Sarah Bonito (Sarah Midori Perry) – lead vocals
  • Gus Lobban – drums, keyboards, sampler, backing vocals, production
  • Jamie Bulled – keyboards, electric guitar, bass guitar, sampler, production

Live band members

The band perform live as both a traditional band, and as a trio using a sequencer and samplers. The full live band consists of these members:

  • Sarah Bonito (Sarah Midori Perry) – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Gus Lobban – backing vocals, keyboards, drums
  • Jamie Bulled – bass guitar
  • Jennifer Walton – drums, sampler
  • James Rowland – guitar

Discography

Albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
US Heatseekers
[36] 		US Independent
[37] 		US World
[38]
Bonito Generation — — 9
Time 'n' Place
  • Released: October 1, 2018
  • Label: Polyvinyl
  • Formats: CD, LP, DL, cassette
 1 6 —
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Mixtapes

List of mixtapes
Title Details
Intro Bonito

EPs

List of extended-plays, with selected chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
US Heatseekers
[36] 		US Independent
[39]
Bonito Recycling — —
Bonito (Retakes) — —
TOTEP 6 22
Civilisation I
  • Released: September 30, 2019
  • Label: Polyvinyl
  • Formats: DL
 — —
"—" denotes items which were not released in that country or failed to chart.

Singles

List of singles as lead artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Weapons Grade" 2011 Non-album single
"Coursework Story" 2012
"(Getting To) The Top"
"Ms. World"
(featuring Mayu Tanaka)
"Laser Quest"
(featuring Leigh)
"Fortune Teller"
"Wherever You Go" 2013
"Why Aren't You Dancing?"
"Homework" Intro Bonito
"Flamingo" 2014 shh#ffb6c1[40]
"Build It Up" Non-album singles
"Sick Beat" Intro Bonito
"Picture This" 2015 Bonito Generation
"Chicken" Non-album single
"Lipslap" 2016 Bonito Generation
"Break"
"Graduation"
"Trampoline"
"Heard a Song"
(CFCF Remix)[41] 		2017 Bonito Retakes[A]
"Forever Summer Holiday" Bonito Generation
"Rock 'n' Roll Star" Covered in Gloria[42]
"Fish Bowl"[43] Bonito Generation
"Only Acting"[B] 2018 TOTEP
"Time Today" Time 'n' Place
"World Tour 2018" Non-album single
"Make Believe" Time 'n' Place
"Swimming" 2019
"The Open Road" Swimming/The Open Road[44]
"When the Fires Come" Civilisation I
"It's Bugsnax!" 2020 Non-album single
List of singles as featured artist, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Swipe"[45]
(Manon featuring Kero Kero Bonito) 		2018 Teenage Diary[46]
"Ringtone (Remix)"
(100 Gecs featuring Charli XCX, Rico Nasty and Kero Kero Bonito) 		2020 1000 Gecs and the Tree of Clues

Guest appearances

List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"Flamingo (Julien Mier Remix)" 2016 Julien Mier [2017][47]

Remixes

Title Artist Year Album
"Money" (Kero Kero Bonito Remix) Love and Hates 2011 Non-album single
"Daytime Disco" (Kero Kero Bonito Remix) Spazzkid featuring Neon Bunny 2015
"Story" (Gus Kero Kero Bonito Remix) Magdalena Bay 2020
"The Light" (Kero Kero Bonito Remix) Metronomy

Notes

  1. ^ "Heard a Song (CFCF Remix)" is also included on the Japanese version of the album Bonito Generation.
  2. ^ "Only Acting" is also included on the album Time 'n' Place.

References

  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. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  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. 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. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Hunt, El (24 December 2014). "Dear Santa... Love Kero Kero Bonito". DIY. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  15. ^ "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.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 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.[non-primary source needed]
  19. ^ Richards, Will (19 October 2016). "Interview: My Generation: Kero Kero Bonito". DIY. Archived from the original on 6 February 2017. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  20. ^ "Flamingo". YouTube. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  21. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito drops new single and video, "Only Acting"". The FADER. Archived from the original on 1 August 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  22. ^ KKB Life, archived from the original on 31 January 2020, retrieved 2 October 2019
  23. ^ "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.
  24. ^ "Stream Spazzkid's neon-washed Promise EP, out soon on Daedelus' Magical Properties imprint". Fact. 7 July 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  25. ^ Milton, Jamie (16 February 2015). "The Neu Bulletin (16th February 2015)". DIY. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  26. ^ Sherburne, Philip (24 September 2014). "Kero Kero Bonito: "Cat vs. Dog (Kane West Remix)"". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 15 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  27. ^ Sherburne, Philip (17 September 2014). "PC Music's Twisted Electronic Pop: A User's Manual". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 21 January 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  28. ^ "2014: Favorite 50 Music Releases of 2014". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 2014. Archived from the original on 1 March 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  29. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2014". Fact. 9 December 2014. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  30. ^ Mr P (25 February 2015). "Kane West – 'T.R.U.E.L.O.V.E.'". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  31. ^ "PC Music's Kane West preps new EP on Turbo Recordings". FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music. 24 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 February 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  32. ^ "Cecile Believe". facebook.com. Retrieved 10 June 2019.[non-primary source needed]
  33. ^ "Kane West – Definitely Come Together (Club Mix) on PC Music". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  34. ^ "WHARFWHIT Makes Awkward, Double-Jointed Bubblegum Electro-Pop and You Need to Listen to Him Now". Thump (Vice). 10 November 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  35. ^ "WHARFWHAT!? by WHARFWHIT". 14 November 2017. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  36. ^ a b "Kero Kero Bonito – Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  37. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito – Independent Albums Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  38. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito – World Albums Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  39. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito – World Albums Billboard". Billboard. Archived from the original on 9 August 2019. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  40. ^ Plaugic, Lizzie (24 October 2015). "A guide to Ryan Hemsworth's free track download project, Secret Songs". The Verge. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
  41. ^ "Spotify – Heard a Song (CFCF Remix)". Spotify. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  42. ^ "Spotify – Covered in Gloria". Spotify. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  43. ^ "Kero Kero Bonito – Fish Bowl (September 2017) – VinylPost.co". VinylPost. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  44. ^ "Swimming/The Open Road – Kero Kero Bonito (Merch & Vinyl)". Polyvinyl Record Co. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  45. ^ "Spotify – SWIPE". Spotify. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  46. ^ "Spotify – TEENAGE DIARY". Spotify. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  47. ^ "Amazon.com: [2017] [Explicit]: Various artists: MP3 Downloads". Amazon. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
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