Bonito Generation

Bonito Generation has been described to be an electropop,[14] J-pop,[15] and synth-pop record,[16] with influences from electro, dancehall, video game music, '90s dance, hip hop, and K-pop.[17][18][19][15][20] It has also been compared to the hyperpop sounds of PC Music and Sophie.[20] Themes of the record also touch upon Instagram, hearing a catchy song on the radio, trampolines, waking up, childlike perspective upon day-to-day existential crises, and the curiosity of youth.[15][17]

Bonito Generation was released on 21 October 2016 by Double Denim Records,[20] whereupon it peaked at number nine on the US World Albums Chart (Billboard).[21] On 12 July 2017, Bonito Generation was released for the Japanese market by the Sony Music Entertainment Japan subsidiary label Around the World.[22] Following the band's signing to Polyvinyl Record Co., Bonito Generation was re-issued on 11 January 2019,[23] whereupon it peaked at number 15 on the US Vinyl Albums Chart (Billboard).[24]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.4/10[25]
Metacritic	81/100[26]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[20]
Clash	9/10[15]
DIY	[19]
The Guardian	[18]
Tiny Mix Tapes	[27]

Bonito Generation was met with positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the release has an average score of 81 based on seven reviews, meaning that it has received "universal acclaim".[26] Fellow music aggregator AnyDecentMusic? likewise gave the album an average score of 7.4/10, based on eight reviews.[25]

Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Heather Phares wrote, "Packed with breezy, witty, should-be hits, Bonito Generation is a winning mix of subversive art and genuine heart."[20] Joe Rivers of Clash stated, "The production is disarmingly joyous and, thanks to a predilection for early '90s dance, some of the tracks here are absolute bangers."[15] Jamie Milton of DIY magazine opined that the band had "perfected the quick fix formula" with the album, which included "a dozen giant would-be singles".[19] While Milton wrote that the album "crams together a bunch of massive singles, melted into a sometimes grating dose of glucose," the review concluded that "that's the compromise for penning twelve monster hits."[19] Milton also complimented the band for not "taking the piss" with the album and instead earnestly embracing their act.[19]

Kate Hutchinson of The Guardian wrote that "Their no-fat nuggets have the hyper-slickness of kawaii J-pop, while harking back to an era (the 90s, obv) when high-concept chart hits were as ubiquitous as boy bands' curtains".[18] However, she noted, "Their songs are best when they stop being so satirically cutesy and zip somewhere else."[18]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bonito Generation.[28]

• Bonito Generation at Discogs