Civilization II EP - Kero Kero Bonito: Review
Kero Kero Bonito
is a London based indie and electro pop act who have bounced between a number of different stylistic eras. They first broke onto the scene with a distinctly J-Pop inspired sound before following it up with a shimmering electro pop style and then coming through in 2018 with a much more indie influenced sound on Time n Place. Since then they released the first edition of this EP series and presented a blend of all their previous explorations, which also seemed like the outlook for this sequel.
Review By Lav:
I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've ever heard from KKB. Despite bouncing between some very distinct sounds they have brought with them fantastic songwriting and a creative exploration of sounds that makes it always fresh and interesting. While Civilization I wasn't my favorite thing the band had ever done I did see a lot of potential in it, particularly with the When The Fires Come single. Thankfully on Civilization II that potential is fully realized with three tracks that each take different approaches, but are unwaveringly successful each time.
The Princess And The Clock is legitimately one of the best songs I've heard all year and it feels like I've listened to it 1000 times since it was released as a single. It's such a great mix of fairy tale storytelling that is legitimately vibrant ad fascinating with a song that is incredibly well written. The instrumental is colorful and blissful and the hook is amazingly catchy for how wordy it is, I just can't get enough of the song.
21/04/20 is slightly more reserved by comparison but no less beautiful. KKB can write refrains that are just so insanely catchy and they pop up all over this song. I also love the sort of slurred blurry keys on the verse which mean with these shrill shimmering keys on the hook and creates a bounciness for the track that is absolutely infectious.
The third and final track is Well Rested the longest KKB song I know of at over 7 minutes. It kicks off with a weird glitchy atmosphere featuring some of Sarah's vocals chopped up phasing in and out. After that it gets into a very bouncy dare I even say disco inspired core of the song. That doesn't last long either before getting replaced with some awesome early Daft Punk sounding electronica over which Sarah delivers some dramatic, dystopian spoken word over top. The song is a legitimate odyssey that bounces between the bands always reliable electro pop sound and some bold experiments that pay off in a big way.
Civilization II sounds like the most definitive thing KKB has ever done. Even though it's only three songs the band covers a lot of ground and does so without ever missing a beat. Their quality of output over the past few years has been almost unmatched and yet this may be their greatest accomplishment yet adding three extraordinary tracks to an already excellent discography. The only thing I can do is continue to listen over and over until the group is ready to return and deliver even more greatness. 9/10
Album Cover Review By Tyler Judson:
This cover is super cool. It's minimal in its composition but the concept is very well thought out and doesn't overcomplicate a good idea. The paper background keeps the red wax as the focal point and the design in the was is striking even in its monochromatic line design. This look like a practical design and actually was a seal that was photographed instead of digitally imposed and that makes me happy. Very successful in my opinion. 9/10
For more KKB read my review of Civilization 1 here
