TOTEP

TOTEP is a four-track EP by Kero Kero Bonito, self-released digitally on February 20, 2018, with a physical edition arriving via Polyvinyl Records on January 11, 2019. The EP marked a dramatic departure from the bright bubblegum electropop of the group's debut album Bonito Generation, shifting toward noise pop, shoegaze, and more introspective lyrical territory. All tracks were written and produced by Gus Lobban and recorded at Press Play studio in Bermondsey and at Lobban's home in Bromley.

Personal upheaval experienced by all three members following the Bonito Generation tour cycle catalyzed the artistic shift. Sarah Perry has cited the demolition of her childhood home and the closure of her primary school as formative experiences behind the EP's themes of time, loss, and the search for stability. Lobban drew on unexpected influences including Mount Eerie's grief-centered A Crow Looked at Me and My Bloody Valentine's noise-forward shoegaze. The result was a record that retained the group's melodic warmth while burying it beneath rawer, more emotionally complex textures.

TOTEP served as a preview and companion piece to Time 'n' Place (October 2018), the band's most critically acclaimed album. Following its Polyvinyl physical release, the EP charted at #6 on Billboard Top Heatseekers, #22 on Billboard Independent Albums, and #20 on Billboard Vinyl Albums. It was ranked among the best EPs of 2018 on Rate Your Music.