Informed by UFO encounters, ritualism, robots, Northern Soul, and nuclear weapons, space-surf-psych-rock quartet Japanese Television announce their second album ‘Automata Exotica’, set for release on 22nd March 2024 by Tip Top Recordings. A combination of cyclical, mechanical rhythms, and heavy bass, ‘Automata Exotica’ is louder, tighter, bolder and rawer than anything Japanese Television have done before.

‘Automata Exotica’ was recorded live to tape in three electric all-night sessions in a windowless room in Homerton by Kristian Bell of The Wytches. “We wanted to make a tighter, more compact record”, says guitarist Tim Jones. “We whittled the songs down to be as lean as possible. All the tracks are first or second takes, all of us recorded live playing together, with limited overdubs. No fat, just the energy captured”.

Album opener, the expansive, krautrock inspired chugger ‘Golden Birds’, sounds like looking at an endless horizon. The fuzzed out lead single ‘Tabadaboum’ is titled as a made-up French onomatopoeia, describing the sound of the main riff. Keyboardist Ian Thorn says “The song was the last to be recorded in the session and we were trying to get that ‘end of a gig’ energy into the track. The layered outro (using a wah-wah pedal that was owned by bassist Elea’s dad) was inspired by a week touring with GOAT and their duelling guitarists”.

Inspired in a roundabout way by The Fall, the title of ‘Typhoon Reggae Police’ comes from the name of a demo cassette listed in Mark E. Smith’s autobiography ‘Renegade’. According to Tim, the song is better summarised as Link Wray (the undisputed king of weird instrumental garage surf rock) playing in Ahmad Zahir’s band (Afghanistan’s ‘Elvis’).

‘Death Waltz II’ is inspired by 3am drives in the tour van around Birmingham listening to a Nigerian funk compilation, while ‘Fantasia’ is something akin to ‘The Night’ by Frankie Valli, a sort of Northern Soul stomp, but in a space-surf style.

Initially conceived in the style of Dr Feelgood-esque R&B, the more the band played ‘Uranium Knights’ the faster and more unhinged it became. Ian’s organ line became more wheeling and berserk and Elea’s bass got fuzzier and fuzzier. Now paranoid and dangerous, it’s something akin to an unstoppable army of nuclear weapon equipped robots charging across the desert.

‘Ariel School Sighting’ is about “my favourite alien encounter / UFO sighting”, says Tim. From a spate of reports across southern Africa in 1994, TV footage of Zimbabwean school children hauntedly describe beings with large black eyes coming from a silver disc landing nearby. “They describe the unnerving, juddering way the beings move, which I tried to relay with a heavily delayed, shuddering guitar line”, says Tim. Ian adds “We were aiming for the right combination of robotic and groovy – that’s a recurring theme for the whole record – so obviously we went with a bossa nova feel”.

‘Automata Exotica’ follows Japanese Television’s 2022 debut ‘Space Fruit Vineyard’, a record which caught the support of BBC 6 Music (where they’ve had over 100 spot plays and recorded two sessions for Marc Riley), NME, So Young, Clash, DIY, Arts Desk, Gigwise, Radio X and more. A thrilling live proposition, they recently played a seven date UK tour including a headline slot at Norwich Psych Fest. More live dates and festivals are to be announced for 2024.

‘Tabadaboum’ is the 1st single from London Space Surf band Japanese Television’s second studio album ‘Automata Exotica’. Informed by UFO encounters & wonky Fuzz units, ‘Automata Exotica’ is louder, tighter and rawer than anything they’ve done before. Recorded live to tape in 3 all-night sessions in a windowless room in Homerton by Kristian Bell of The Wytches, the record feels close and electric.

While writing the new album, Japanese Television have toured the UK with both GOAT & The Wytches, recorded a second live session for Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music, and played European festivals. Japanese Television brought their fuzzy majesty for a eight night headline UK tour in November 2023 promoted by FMLY, which crash landed for a headline slot at Norwich Psych Fest. The band set out of a follow up headline UK tour and a first through Europe in Spring 2024.