Otoboke Beaver’s third LP whizzes past at breakneck speed, leaving the listener to recalibrate inside a dust cloud it drew from the ground. More than their two previous records, ‘Super Champon’ toys with a chaotic humour that dips its hand equally into both nihilism and hedonism. The musical choices are charged with a refreshing sense of fun and irreverence without ever feeling puerile or wasted. At just over 21 minutes, the Japanese rock quartet can’t allow a single sound to anguish; each component is stark, sharpened, and commanding. The result is some of the most impeccably orchestrated mayhem available this year.
24/30
A favourite: ‘I don’t want to die alone’
‘Super Champon’ is out now via Damnably.
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