Otoboke Beaver Release Firey “YAKITORI” | ‘Super Champon’ Out 5/6 via Damnably
Otoboke Beaver Unleash “YAKITORI”
Premiered via FADER
New Album Super Champon Out May 6 via Damnably
North American Tour Set For Fall 2022
Dates And Tickets Available Here
“It’ll blow your mind, dude” – Dave Grohl
“PUNK AS F*CK” – The Cribs
“[‘YAKITORI’]…a violent, nonsensical thrill ride only Otoboke could pull off” – FADER
“…sheer calamity and deliriously fun” – Pitchfork
“Their Riot Grrrl attitudes and passion for noise-rock make them stand
out as true renegades in the underground scene.” – i-D
“Punk is rarely this charmingly vicious.” – NPR Music
“…a rhythm-twisting, no-nonsense, Japanese girl gang more than
worthy of an invitation into the riot grrrl scene” – Stereogum
“…vicious but tuneful punk-rock assaults’’ – The A.V. Club
Photo Credit: Mayumi Hirata
Today, acclaimed Japanese punk-rock-garage quartet Otoboke Beaver return with a sardonically blazing new single “YAKITORI,” first premiered with FADER. The track comes from their new album Super Champon, out May 6 via Damnably. It’s just one of a few food-themed songs on the album meant to be more subversive than their titles would imply. Here ‘yakitori’, or Japanese skewered chicken, is used as a weapon of choice in a petty act of revenge, essentially acting as a “sorry-not-sorry” about throwing yakitori through your letterbox. Vocalist and guitarist Accorinrin says, “We are not popular in Japan, but we have been told by some Japanese people that we are flirting with foreigners. I was so pissed off by this that I decided to write songs with ‘Japanese’ and ‘foreign flirtatious’ titles, such as ‘SUSHI’ and ‘YAKITORI.’ It’s a meaningless song, ‘I’m the one who threw yakitori in your mailbox.’ Not so flirtatious, right?”
Super Champon follows 2019’s critically acclaimed Itekoma Hits. ‘Champon’ is a Japanese noun meaning a mixture or jumble of things of different types, as the band explains, “It’s a mixture of songs from love to food, life and JASRAC. Our music is genreless and has various elements. We hope that it will be our masterpiece of chaos music. It also sounds like champion.” Previously released singles, “PARDON?,” “I am not maternal”, “Don’t call me mojo,” and “Dirty old fart is waiting for my reaction,” see the band pushing back on societal pressure to reproduce, calling out ridiculous judgements on what gives a woman value, and reacting to uninvited counsel from patronising people.
Across 18 songs, chief singer-songwriter Acco expands the band’s possibilities and pushes their musical skills to the limit. Acco has remarked previously that she is more influenced by ‘manzai,’ a traditional style of comedy in Japanese culture comparable to double act comedy or stand-up comedy exemplified by its use of slang puns and wordplay, speedy back-and-forth dialogue and impeccable timing in delivering a punchline — characteristics of which Otoboke Beaver’s music shares in droves.
Otoboke Beaver, formed at Kyoto University’s music club, consists of Accorinrin (lead vocal & guitar), Yoyoyoshie (guitar & vocals), Hirochan (bass & vocals), and Kahokiss (drums & vocals). Acco’s off-kilter self-taught compositional and confrontational performance skills, together with the band’s incredible musicianship, make for a thrilling and unmissable live act. The band will tour North America in the fall of 2022, with dates and tickets available here.
‘Super Champon’ Cover Art
Super Champon 2022 Tour Dates
June 2 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
June 30 Belfort, FR @ Les Eurockéennes
July 8 Trenčín, SK @ Pohoda Festival
July 9 Leiden, NL @ Werfpop
July 11 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso Noord
Sept 30 Toronto, ON, CA @ Lee’s Place
Oct 2 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Oct 3 Boston, MA @ The Sinclair
Oct 5 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
Oct 6 Washington, DC @ Union Stage
Oct 8 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle (sold out)
Oct 9 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
Oct 11 Denver, CO @ Globe Hall
Oct 14 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
Oct 16 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
Oct 18 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Oct 19 Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
Oct 21 San Diego, CA @ The Casbah
Follow Otoboke Beaver
Website |Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | TikTok |Youtube