4 out of 5

Label: Tip Top Recorings

Produced by: Kristian Bell (recorded by)

Blowing past their self-described “space surf” descriptor, the second EP from Japanese Television brings in all that was great about their first release and adds a bit more bite to it, expanding on their sound past a general swaggering psych vibe to be inclusive of some modern day flourish. This excellently combines with the reverb-soaked recording and underlying surf chill to make for a truly unique buzz; rumbling excitement building on each tune as a grinding fuzzy bass or some added production flash helps grow head-bobbing riffs into rocking and rolling conclusions – a kind of “completeness” to their tunes that was only slightly lacking on the first EP, stopping a little short of giving tracks room to breathe in favor of a breezy brevity.

We do somewhat run into a limitation, though, with how far afield the tone of these tracks go, as once we get past the midway point, it feels like elements are just being rearranged instead of presenting something new. This is maybe where billing oneself a certain way can come back to haunt a band; indirectly forcing Japanese Television to narrow the sounds they can create. Now, because the tunes are fairly short and mostly bring in some notable element / riff once the jam gets going, this isn’t, by any means, a deal-breaker, but it does mean the start of the EP feels more memorable than the back half, while if you hear the songs individually… they all sound like the coolest goddamn song in the world.