Super Champon

Otoboke Beaver

This new Otoboke Beaver record was one of my most anticipated records of 2022. Largely due to the fact that the band's 2019 album (or compilation you could say), Itekoma Hits, was quite awesome. The Japanese quartet demonstrated they could be so incredibly sweet one moment, and turn viciously sour the next, all while performing with an impeccable tightness that is rather astounding. As Itekoma Hits went on, the songs started to become noisier, more aggressive, and way more chaotic, leading one to believe that this is potentially where the band saw themselves going forward. As much as I like the raw power and volatility the group displays on these tracks, I felt like I would've missed the jangly J-Pop of standouts like Bakuro Book. However, upon hearing the band's latest album, Super Champon, any doubts I had were put to rest. In fact, I think Super Champon narrowly edges out it's predecessor. As it turns out, Otoboke Beaver does continue in this more chaotic and noisy direction, but all is easily forgiven when every member of this band has levelled up as far as playing and performances go.

With this record, Hiro-Chan solidifies her place as one of punk's greatest bass players, and I wholeheartedly mean that. She packs in so many memorable bass moments that I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around. She plays super melodic, walking basslines (Pardon? and I Won't Dish Out Salads) where every note is heard with crystal clear clarity, even when played at breakneck tempos. Leave Me Alone! No, Stay With Me! has some insane bass fills at the beginning of the track that fill space between sharp stabs of panic chords and crashing cymbals. And even when she is just riding on one note on tracks like I Am Not Maternal or Don't Call Me Mojo, the sharp staccato performances still evoke a ton of attitude and confidence.

As for Kahokiss, she shows up on the drums in a way that still surprises me, even after seeing what she could do on the last record. Super Champon has even more erratic song structures when compared to the last record and Kahokiss is there, locked in every step of the way. Every tempo or time signature shift (sometimes for only a bar or two), every shift in style, she rolls so incredibly well with the tide and continues to ground the rest of her bandmates in order to keep this crazy ride on the tracks. Just like Hiro-Chan, Kahokiss has her share of crazy moments too. The hi-hat batting on I Checked Your Cellphone is so blisteringly fast and I can say the same for the kicks on the track that follows, I Put My Love to You in a Song Jasrac. I really didn't know that double bass drum was on the table, but shame on me for thinking there was anything Kahokiss couldn't do.

Kahokiss and Hiro-Chan create such a dynamic and stellar rhythm section that vocalists and guitarists Yoyoyoshie and Accorinrin really have the freedom to be as catchy or confrontational as they please. And just like the last record, they could choose to flip the dime at any moment over the course of a song. Pardon? and Yakitori, for example, begin with more discernible melodies and more repetition, making them the easiest songs on the record to gravitate to... at first. After cheerleading squad group chants and cleverly panned rhythmic dead note strums on the latter, the track really kicks up the intensity at the introduction of a scream one could describe as a rallying cry. Group chants beyond this point are performed at what feels like four times the speed. Pardon? also starts out all well and fine until the frustration of repeatedly declaring "I don't know what you mean" spills over as Accorinrin angrily petitions her obstructor to just "SHUT UP!" Other times, the band just goes for the throat and doesn't bother to hand you the spoonful of sugar. George and Janice, from what little I can piece together, sounds like a couple that continuously find themselves in the midst of a domestic dispute and it is soundtracked by a blistering piece of classic hardcore. And even when the band really tries to go heavy, their humour still shines through. Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting for My Reaction features scathing grindcore and powerviolence passages underpinned by bloodcurdling screams, and then suddenly switches to carnival show basslines where a more unassuming Accorinrin delivers a more coy vocal approach. The beauty of this record, really, is that no matter the sound the band is trying to incorporate, they pull it off with boundless energy and spirited personality.

Otoboke Beaver have come through with another fantastic, blood-pumping riot of a punk record. It's highest points may not match the highest moment on Itekoma Hits, but I would say that overall I do see improvements across the board in writing and performances. The last record, as much as I enjoy it, did come across like they were in the middle of a stylistic transition. Super Champon sees that transition becoming fully realized and the record feels more cohesive for it. To be honest, there's still a lot of crazy, spontaneous sections I'm in the middle of processing. Regardless, I think it is safe to say that this will be one of my favourite records of the year.