Of course Shonen Knife have a record about candy. The veteran Japanese girl-garage act has for decades married early punk, girl groups, and J-pop (before J-pop was a term) into their own sweet style. No, they haven’t evolved much since Kurt Cobain was a fan, but haven’t really needed to, and Sweet Candy Power is another pleasing entry in their extensive discography.
The best songs on Candy are those that actually focus on said foodstuff, the title track and “Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches”, as they manage to be fun without being sickly sweet. The record is familiar to anyone familiar with Shonen Knife, cheery bops that don’t wear out their welcome.
Like candy itself, Sweet Candy Power is enjoyable but goes away too quickly. But there’s always time for another one.
