Kyoto garage-punk quartet Otoboke Beaver channels inspiration from domestic outfits such as Hikasyu and Yapoos while matching the fierce drive and feminist outlook associated with Bikini Kill and the Slits. The group’s bold sonic approach, rapid tempos, and lyrics that interweave English with Kyoto dialect stand out on collections like Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver, assembled from early Japan-only singles and albums, as well as the 2022 long-player Super Champon.
The four musicians first connected in 2009 at Kyoto University’s music club, where lead vocalist/guitarist Accorinrin, guitarist/vocalist Yoyoyoshie, bassist Nishikawachi, and drummer/vocalist Pop formed the band and took their name from a local love hotel. Their initial three-song demo, Anata No Ai De Manshitsu-Chou, arrived in 2011 and included the concert staple “Chuchu Song.” Later the same year the mini-album Konya Kagiri Nante Zettai Hontoni Wa Senaitsu! documented the quartet’s accelerating pace, and a live album followed in 2012 after shows alongside Shonen Knife, Bo Ningen, Wussy, and Say Sue Me that expanded their domestic following.
January 2013 brought the limited single Otobokebeaver Daijikenbo, followed in March by the debut album Mokugeki Love Me Sign. Nishikawachi departed later that year, with longtime supporter Hiro-chan stepping in on bass. The Record Store Day release “Akimahenka” appeared in 2015, and 2016 saw the English label Damnably issue Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver for international listeners plus the Bakuro Book EP. Further exposure came in 2017 via SXSW and a London 100 Club appearance; the Record Store Day EP Love Is Short subsequently sold out and spent four weeks on the U.K. Singles Chart, while the split single S’il Vous Plait with Say Sue Me surfaced that November.
Despite full-time employment that limited touring, Otoboke Beaver mounted an extensive 2018 itinerary that included U.K. dates and Coachella; Pop then exited and was succeeded by fellow Kyoto University music-club alum Kahokiss. A remastered vinyl edition of Okoshiyasu!! Otoboke Beaver marked that year’s Record Store Day. Itekoma Hits arrived in 2019, gathering material from Bakuro Book, Love Is Short, and additional singles plus fresh tracks. The non-album song “Yobantoite Mojo,” issued late in 2019, served as the theme for the Japanese television program Susumu Inomata and 8 Mojo. Two new songs emerged in 2020 amid livestream performances during the COVID-19 pandemic. Super Champon followed in May 2022, accompanied by announcements of the band’s first North American headline tours.
