Shonen Knife - “Sweet Candy Power”

SXSW 2022 - OEB Score: 7; Popularity Index: 8

Pairs Well With…The Ramones, The Raincoats, Otoboke Beaver

Japanese punk legends Shonen Knife just passed their forty-year anniversary  as a band and they’ve rarely taken a break over that time, releasing their 23rd (!) record in 2019 with Sweet Candy Power. These tracks still feel connected to Shonen Knife’s 80s material, punchy pop-punk based in the classic punk songwriting that makes up their latest bilingual collection. Shonen Knife consistently balance tight and loose within their songs, hooky throughout but not pounding incessantly. It gives their music charm and personality, a vibrancy that keep their records fresh after performing for so long together. While there’s been some rotation of musicians over the years, the bite and drive is still there as Shonen Knife joins a slew of emerging punk upstarts at SXSW this year. Shonen Knife performed alongside a handful of artists that are performing an Online Showcase in lieu of traveling in Covid times, so keep an ear out for their performance especially for those who cannot make the trip to Austin this year. (Kevin McStravick)