Overdrive (Shonen Knife album)
| Overdrive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Shonen Knife | ||||
| Released | April 14, 2014 (UK/Europe) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:18 | |||
| Label |
Good Charamel P-Vine Damnably Valve Records |
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| Producer | Naoko Yamano & Atushi Shibata | |||
| Shonen Knife chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (67/100) |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Drowned in Sound | (6/10) |
| NME | (7/10) |
| PopMatters |   |
Overdrive is the 19th studio album by pop punk trio Shonen Knife. It was released on April 14, 2014 in Europe, and on April 16, 2014 in Japan. According to band leader Naoko Yamano, because their album Free Time (2010) was heavily influenced by punk rock, and Pop Tune (2012) had explored a more pop-oriented sound, Overdrive was a chance for the band to explore a more hard rock sound. The album's lyrics cover a wide array of topics, from green tea, fortune cookies, and cats.
The CD album artwork was created by Masahiko Ohno; three different color variations were released, with each corresponding to either Japan, North America, or Europe. The album received moderately positive reviews from critics, with many applauding the band's dabbling in more harder rock, whereas others were critical of its musical and lyrical simplicity.
While Shonen Knife's usual sound is Ramones-inspired pop punk, the band branched out musically and listened to harder rock bands for Overdrive, such as such as Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Bad Company, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Boston, ZZ Top, and The Doobie Brothers—for inspiration. IAmTunedUp.com described the album's sound as a combination of "edgy guitar riffs with psychedelic 70s-esque enchanting nostalgia". Naoko Yamano reasoned that because Free Time (2010) was heavily influenced by punk rock, and Pop Tune (2012) explored a more pop-oriented sound, Overdrive represented an opportunity for the band to explore harder rock. Because of the band's exploration, the album's name references the overdrive pedal, which, in Yamano's mind, conjured up images of 1970s rock music.
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