If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Mayumi Hirata We haven't heard from Otoboke Beaver in a while, but now the Japanese punks are back with a new single from an upcoming maxi-single. "I Don't Need to Be in Your Strike Zone" is a fast and noisy affair coming in at just over one minute. It's hyperactive and almost impossibly fast, with lots of yelling gang vocals and headache inducing tempo changes. Otoboke Beaver are never going to be for everyone, but they do instill an intense devotion from their fans. No one is a casual Otoboke Beaver fan, and songs like "I Don't Need to Be in Your Strike Zone" is exactly why. The best part is that we won't have to wait another four years for new music, since they already have two more singles planned for release in the next week! You can watch the video for "I Don't Need to Be in Your Strike Zone" below. Is the New Album Out Yet? is due for a physical release on June 4 via Damnably, and is available to pre-order through Ba...

Photo by Jumei Yamada I had purchased my ticket to see Otoboke Beaver months ago and was thrilled to be going. Then Sunny Day Real Estate announced their tour and the Boston show was the same night as Otoboke Beaver. I went back and forth on which to go to, and eventually decided to stick with my original plan. Then Editrix, one of my favorite Western Massachusetts bands, was added as the opener and my decision was solidified. Hours before the show, Editrix had to drop off due to positive COVID tests which was a huge disappointment (get well soon, Editrix!) Otoboke Beaver was going to have to be damn good to help me get over my FOMO. They were. Their songs were even more charming in person as they swung wildly from bubblegum pop to thrashy punk with little to no warning. Normally the singer tends to be the focus of a band, and Otoboke Beaver's singer Accorinrin definitely captivated the crowd, but the star of the night was guitarist Yoyoyoshie. She flailed around while playing in s...

Photo by Mayumi Hirata Normally I won't bring you a new song the day before the album comes out since I don't want to overload you too much, but most bands aren't Otoboke Beaver. "I Don't Want to Die Alone" might be the most accessible single we've heard so far from the Japanese punks... at least it starts out that way. It starts off as an edgy, upbeat alt-rock song. It's quite danceable and bouncy, even with the buzzy guitars and jerky vibe. It's filled with melody and fun, and then it slowly starts to circle around itself until it just crumples into a chaotic cluster in the best possible way. This is one album I can not wait to come out. Lead vocalist and guitarist Accorinrin says of the new song: “ This is probably my favourite track on the new album.  W e mixed in a lot of different styles. There are ‘Pop’ parts, or like ‘idol’ style parts, and ‘hard rock’ parts. It’s fun to play.” You can watch the video for "I Don't Want to Die Alone...

Japanese punk quartet Otoboke Beaver have released a new single off their upcoming album. "YAKITORI" starts off as a fun little upbeat song. It's cheery and fairly fun, and then the song just launches off into an absolute fury. It's filled with screaming and plenty of abrasive sounds while never quite losing that original upbeat cheer. Plus, they even throw in some metal guitar licks. Otoboke Beaver throw themselves to complete extremes in this one, and somehow cram this all into an under two minute run time. This kind of mocking punk is my favorite kind of punk out there, and "YAKITORI" do it to perfection. Vocalist/guitarist Accorinrin says of the new song: “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 ya...

Photo by Mayumi Hirata The latest song from Japanese punks Otoboke Beaver starts off the way you would expect. Sure, it's punk, but the song tends to have a sweeter, bouncy side. But as "PARDON?" goes on, it gets angrier and more chaotic. Eventually it descends into almost pure anger and chaos. The song starts off as more fun and bratty punk and slowly transforms into noise punk (while still keeping the majority of the fun from the start of the song intact), all within less than two minutes. Since the song is about "... unrelenting miscommunication of unsolicited and overzealous points of view," the frustration in the song makes perfect sense. Otoboke Beaver say of their new song: “Sometimes, the more you insist, the harder it is to understand you. We don’t have time to understand if you don’t have time to understand." You can watch the video for "PARDON?" below. Super Champion is due out May 6 on Damnably. For more on Otoboke Beaver, check out th...