SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: SHONEN KNIFE – SWEET CANDY POWER

Shonen Knife
Sweet Candy Power
Good Charamel Records 

Sweet as ever, Shonen Knife returns with their 19th powerhouse girl pop album, Sweet Candy Power. The band’s 38-year spanning career has brought them massive success and proves they stand the test of time with their catchy, cheerful bops. Longest standing band member Naoko says she has kept her motivation over the years by “responding to our audience’s excitement and playing tennis often. I keep myself in good health”.

The album stays true to their familiar sound of loud, driving chords layered with sugary melodic narratives of food and simple enjoyments. When asked where these pleasant inspirations were drawn from, Naoko says “each song has items which I was inspired by. For example, the song Sweet Candy Power is inspired by candies. I usually eat candies when I have sore throat during tours. I can make songs from everything which exists in this world except sad, negative things”. Mentions of more delicious treats are made in the tracks “Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches” and “Peppermint Attack”.

With food and fun being the basic premise of the music, one might wonder what some of the band favourites are. Naoko – “My favorite foods are macadamia nuts, almonds, peanuts and delicious cheese. My favorite things to do for fun is tennis. I like both watching men’s pro tennis matches and playing by myself”.

Other songs on the album such as “Wave Rock” and “Never Never Land” lend to a more laid back, surf rock attitude while tracks like “Match 3” and “Party” are hard-driving dancefloor starters. The first single “Dizzy” is complimented with an upbeat clap-along video featuring the band members in matching mod dress performing coordinated dance moves.

Shonen Knife have certainly never dulled over the years, with their joyful simple tunes still endeared today. When asked for her secret to making optimistic music that stays relevant through the times, Naoka admits, “I always spend much effort writing lyrics but it’s easy for me to make melody lines. Anyway, my purpose to play music is to entertain people. There is no special secret. I just keep on rocking.”

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