“GIRLS ROCK!”
Legendary Japanese Punk Band
SHONEN KNIFE
Releases New Album OUR BEST PLACE
and Retrospective Lyric Video
via Good Charamel
“Girl Power” was always a rallying cry for legendary Japanese punk band SHONEN KNIFE and in many ways, their 2003 song “GIRL’S ROCK” was an anthem for many women in the punk community. Re-recording their track for their new album OUR BEST PLACE which is released today, February 15, 2023via Good Charamel Records, they have created a lyric video in Japanese (which appears as a bonus track on the CD; the vinyl version has the English version only) which documents the band’s storied history, spanning over four decades of archival photos, videos, album covers, etc.
“Shonen Knife consists of support from people around the band,” says Naoko Yamano, vocalist/guitarist/songwriter. “Watching this video, I feel deeply the contribution by our band members past and present. Shonen Knife has more than 40 years of history and this video reminds me of many memories.”
Watch the lyric video here
Their first album in nearly three years since 2019’s acclaimed Sweet Candy Power and tenth full-length for Good Charamel in North America, Our Best Place is an exhilarating masterpiece, brimming with punk-pop flavors that harken the emotions and energy of the band’s early classic albums.
While their albums have always been authentic rock albums with unconventional twists, they’ve returned to the quirky punk-pop flavor that fueled their first four albums, making fans of Nirvana, Redd Kross, The Ramones, and Sonic Youth (among many others). Our Best Place is an eagerly anticipated return to their roots, especially for long-time fans.
New songs like “Nice Day” and “MUJINTO Rock” are reminiscent of The Jam and Buzzcocks (BrooklynVegan says the latter track “falls somewhere between Ramones and The Jam — territory they know well — and is sprinkled with that Shonen Knife magic”), while the eccentricities of “The Story Of Baumkuchen” deliver the playfulness of their early sound with the hard rock influence that they’ve adopted more recently (which can never be completely removed).
“Now, I thank our fans and my band members,” smirks Naoko. “Girl’s ROCK!”
1. MUJINTO Rock
2. Nice Day
3. The Story of Baumkuchen
4. Vamos Taquitos
5. Spicy Veggie Curry
6. Girl’s Rock (2023 Version)
7. Afternoon Tea
8. Ocean Sunfish
9. Better
10. Just a Smile
CD ONLY Bonus Tracks
11. Nice Day (60’s Mix)
12. The Story of Baumkuchen (Japanese Version – “Baumkuchen no Hanashi”)
13. Girl’s Rock (2023 Japanese Version)
