![]() ![]() Similar to the environmentalist themes of Civilisation I, the track grapples with environmental collapse, this time envisioning a transhumanist future as humanity evolves into new forms-“We have survived a hundred apocalypses/Doomsday hasn’t come yet/You can not stop civilization.” Finally, the track descends into a glitchy noise-filled resting state, ending the EP’s loose narrative with a vision of an uncertain future. “Well Rested” meanders down textured synth soundscapes before leading into a driving climax, transforming into a futuristic club-ready breakdown as Sarah Bonito intones over top like a prophet of doom. It’s no surprise in that case that the track is the most experimental cut on the EP, a multi-phased synth funk opus that clocks in at seven minutes, the band’s longest track yet. While perhaps the least immediately memorable of the trio of tracks, the welcoming analog synths and intimate melodies imbue the song with an alluring sense of nostalgia, putting a warm yet otherworldly spin on the present.įinally, the closing track, “Well Rested,” looks towards the future. Lines like “Hey how are you doing?/I’m okay just the usual kind of weird” recall the simultaneously surreal and banal realities of the last year, all wrapped in dreamy melody and easygoing energy. The band perfectly captures the hazy blend of days that quarantine brought last year. The second track, “21/04/20,” represents the world’s exceedingly strange present, reflecting on a single day at the beginning of lockdown a year ago. Reportedly, the band used entirely vintage analog synths during the making of the EP, crafting tracks that deploy the tools of the past in a fearlessly forward-thinking experimental approach. In fact, the production on Civilisation II makes for a consistent highlight. Yet, even as they call back to their earliest work, the band’s talents have only grown since then, most especially on the production side. Glittering synth pop and irrepresible energy keep the track relentlessly catchy, making for some of the strongest hooks of the band’s career. The sound of the track is pure Kero Kero Bonito, drawing back to the band’s early albums with their influences from synth pop and chiptune. The first track, “Princess and the Clock,” takes the listener on a spritely experimental pop journey through a fairy tale. The EP’s themes follow a loose progression-past, present, and future. And, true to the previous EP’s numbering, the trio is back with a follow-up EP this year (the fittingly titled Civilisation II), expanding the sound and themes of Civilisation I in new directions and once again proving themselves one of the most creative and subversive pop acts out there. Once again the band heralded a new era in 2019, this time with a danceable synth pop existential odyssey, Civilisation I.įor their previous EP, the band widened their scope, going beyond Sarah Bonito’s dreams, mental health, and millennial malaise for a heady look at civilizational struggle through the years. Previously, the band have prefaced these shifts with an EP, as with the TOTEP EP pointing to the noisy, dreamy, and insanely catchy indie rock of Time n’ Place. “ Right now, there’s not much I can do,” she realises… “ ’til we can meet again”, signing off optimistically with hope “ for the new day”, dreaming – as we all were – of the return of some sense of normality.British indie pop trio Kero Kero Bonito have long been ever-changeable, darting between new transformations in sound and style with each new release. ![]() With contemplative synths and soft drumbeats beneath Perry’s meandering thoughts and observations (needing to go for a walk, seeing ambulances pass, noticing shuttered shops), it’s a sobering snapshot of what life was like exactly one year ago. The diaristic simplicity of ’′, inspired by cave drawings, is written about one specific day in lockdown. It’s like blasting through a Mario Kart session on a Nintendo 64 that’s plugged into a cinema-size TV: full of eye-popping colours you’ll want to keep exploring. ![]() Opener ‘The Princess and the Clock’ is KKB at their storytelling best: Perry sings about a kidnapped protagonist being trapped in a chamber while Lobban and Bulled craft an 8-bit-referencing sonic landscape. Each of the EP’s three tracks is set chronologically in a different tense: past, present and future.
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