Otoboke Beaver

Otoboke Beaver (in Japanese おとぼけビ～バ～) is a punk rock band from Kyoto, Japan. According to its members, the band plays a "fast-paced and aggressive style of punk-rock," with "frequent changes in rhythm and tempo," accompanied by "gang vocals."[1] Their songs feature love and relationships as regular themes, often based on singer Accorinrin's own experiences.[2][3]

Otoboke Beaver
おとぼけビ～バ～
Otoboke Beaver performing in Nottingham, England, 2016 (L-R: Hiro-Chan, Accorinrin, Pop [on drums], Yoyoyoshie)
Background information
OriginKyoto, Japan
Genres
Years active2009–present
LabelsDamnably
Websitehttps://otobokebeaver-kyoto.jimdofree.com/
MembersAccorinrin
Yoyoyoshie
Hiro-Chan
Kahokiss
Past membersNishikawachi
Pop

History

The band is named after a love hotel in Osaka[4] near the high school of one of the band members.[2] They formed in 2009 while the members were active in the "Rock Commune" music club at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.[3][5] The original members were Accorinrin on lead vocals, Yoyoyoshie on guitar, Pop on drums, and Nishikawachi on bass.

In June 2011, Otoboke Beaver released a demo CD featuring three songs, including an early version of "Chuchu Song", a live track that would be later re-recorded and distributed to people who helped fund the band's first trip to the United States.

In 2012, the group released their first live album through Egypt Records. In 2013, they released a limited-edition single through Jet Set Records, featuring the newly recorded "Otobokebeaver Daijikenbo" and two live tracks. In March of the same year, the band released the mini-album Love Me Sign. Bassist Nishikawachi left the band in 2013 and was replaced by Hiro-Chan, a fan who asked to join via e-mail.[6]

Otoboke Beaver participated in Record Store Day 2015, releasing the single "Akimahenka" on vinyl. In 2016, the band signed with UK-based label Damnably. The Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver compilation album was released, featuring the majority of the songs found on the group's first two mini-albums, with the addition of the "Akimahenka" track. The band recorded a live session on XFM and toured the UK with Shonen Knife and Leggy. The EP Bakuro Book followed shortly thereafter, with another EP titled Love is Short!! appearing the following year for Record Store Day 2017. The song "Love Is Short!!" reached the UK singles chart.[7]

The band began touring internationally in 2016, including dates at the 100 Club in London and SXSW in the United States in 2017.[8] Their trip to SXSW was financially assisted by fan-funding via Campfire and Kickstarter.[9] In 2018, the band traveled over 24,000 miles in one week to play two slots at the Coachella Festival[10] and a three-date headlining tour in the UK with label-mates Say Sue Me and Leggy. Other notable tour-mates have included The Cribs, Miyavi, Guitar Wolf, and Wussy.

The album Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver was re-released on vinyl for Record Store Day in 2018.[11] In that year, founding drummer Pop announced her departure from the band.[12] Pop was replaced by Kahokiss, who had attended the same university music club as the band's founding members almost a decade before.

In March 2019, Otoboke Beaver performed at SXSW in Austin, Texas.[13][14] The album Itekoma Hits, featuring new songs and compiling some previously-released singles, was released by Damnably in April 2019. The non-album single "Yobantoite Mojo" was released in late 2019; the song also served as the theme song for the Japanese TV comedy Susumu Inomata and 8 Mojo.[15]

Critical response

Otoboke Beaver's music has garnered them praise from the likes of Pitchfork[16] (where, on the occasion of the Itekoma Hits release, they wrote that "their music evokes a deep sense of joy. Otoboke Beaver have said that they are not feminists, telling The Japan Times last year, 'We don't try to sing about women's rights or women's issues in our music, we’ve never talked about it.' But intention is not always the same as impact; even if their music is not explicitly feminist, there is power in hearing a group of four Asian women say exactly what they want"),[17] also from NPR,[18] The Fader,[19] Stereogum,[20] i-D,[21] and Fujirock Express.[22]

In 2017, they were nominated for Best Live Act at the AIM Independent Music Awards.[23] They have been featured on BBC6 radio.[24]

Members

Current members

  • Accorinrin – vocals, occasional rhythm guitar (2009–present)
  • Yoyoyoshie – guitar, backing vocals (2009–present)
  • Hiro-Chan – bass, backing vocals (2013–present)
  • Kahokiss – drums, backing vocals (2018–present)

Former members

  • Nishikawachi – bass, backing vocals (2009–2013)
  • Pop – drums, backing vocals (2009–2018)

Discography

Albums
  • あなたの愛で満室中 | Anata No Ai De Manshitsu-chū (demo, 2011)
  • 今夜限りなんて絶対ほんとに言わせないっ! | Konya Kagiri Nante Zettai Honto ni Iwasenai! (EP, 2011)
  • Present Progressive Form #002 (live, 2012)
  • Love Me Sign (EP, 2013)
  • Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver (compilation, 2016)
  • Bakuro Book (EP, 2016)
  • Love Is Short!! (EP, 2017)
  • Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver (remastered version, 2018)
  • Itekoma Hits (2019)

Singles
  • おとぼけビ～バ～大事件簿 | "Otobokebeaver Daijikenbo" (2013)
  • "Akimahenka" (2015)
  • "Si'l Vous Plait" (2017) [Split Single w/ Say Sue Me]
  • "Anata Watashi Daita Ato Yome No Meshi" (2018)
  • "Yobantoite Mojo" (2019)

Videos
  • "S'il Vous Plait" (2017)
  • "Love Is Short!" (2017)
  • "Mean" (2017)
  • "Anata Watashi Daita Ato Yome No Meshi" (2019)
  • 脱・日陰の女 | "Datsu, Hikage no Onna" (2019, directed by Haruka Mitani[25])
  • "Don't Light My Fire" (2019)
  • "Dirty Old Fart Is Waiting For My Reaction" (2020)

References
  1. loan (11 April 2016). "Otoboke Beaver - pre-tour interview and EP review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. Swartzentruber, Jack (10 April 2020). "Otoboke Beaver challenges notions of feminist expression". The Bowdoin Orient. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  3. "Otoboke Beaver - Crazed and Deranged Kyoto Garage Rock". Electric Bloom magazine. 1 May 2016. Archived from the original on 18 March 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  4. "Otoboke Beaver Utopia Takayama (Adult Only)". Planet of Hotels. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  5. "圧巻のライブで世界を驚かせるおとぼけビ〜バ〜、まだまだ進化中！" [Otoboke Beaver that surprises the world with a spectacular live performance is still evolving!]. Rooftop (in Japanese). 8 August 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  6. Monks, Rebecca (21 March 2017). "Interview: Otoboke Beaver – 'People in Japan perform feelings without moving bodies. But people in UK tell us directly.'". The List. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  7. "Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  8. "Otoboke Beaver おとぼけビ～バ～". SXSW. 16 March 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. "Otoboke Beaver - Chu Chu Song". Damnably. 29 October 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  10. "Why Coachella's Spotlight on J-Rock With X Japan and Otoboke Beaver Is Significant". FuseTV. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  11. "Otoboke Beaver - Okoshiyasu Otoboke Beaver". recordstoreday.co.uk.
  12. "おとぼけビ～バ～のおへや おとぼけビ～バ～を応援してくださっている皆様へ" [To everyone who supports Otoboke Beaver Otoboke Beaver]. Official website (in Japanese). 4 March 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  13. "Otoboke Beaver". SXSW 2019 Schedule. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  14. "ASTERISM, eX-GIRL, Otoboke Beaver among top Japanese indie acts at SXSW 2019". JRock247. 2019-02-21. Retrieved 2019-03-16.
  15. paulmaps (2019-11-13). "Single Review: Otoboke Beaver – yobantoite mojo (Don't Call Me Mojo)". Joyzine. Retrieved 2020-04-06.
  16. "Otoboke Beaver "Love Is Short"". Pitchfork. 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  17. Jagota, Vrinda (29 April 2019). "Itekoma Hits". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  18. "Japanese Punks Otoboke Beaver Take Revenge In A Grindhouse-Inspired Video". NPR. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  19. Mandel, Leah. "Watch Outrageously Cool Japanese Band Otoboke Beaver Rock Your Socks Off". The Fader. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  20. "Otoboke Beaver – "Anata Watashi Daita Ato Yome No Meshi"". Stereogum. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  21. Kaplan, Ilana (14 March 2017). "otoboke beaver, the all-female japanese punk band named after a love hotel". i-D. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  22. "Scream If You Wanna Be In The Red Marquee". Fuji Rock Express. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  23. Songkick (14 June 2017). "Vote for Your Favorite Live Act of 2017". Songkick.
  24. "Gideon Coe". BBC. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  25. DeVille, Chris (11 April 2019). "Otoboke Beaver - "datsu, hikage no onna" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
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