Let’s Knife wasn’t Shonen Knife’s first album. It wasn’t even the Japanese punk band’s first album in the U.S. Still, the 1992 release became a pivotal one for the trio, who had already been together for about a decade by that point. Songs from the album, like “Riding on the Rocket,” have remained fan favorites, and part of the band’s live sets, some 30+ years later. “It’s our core of Shonen Knife,” says singer/guitarist Naoko on a recent video call from Osaka.
There was a problem, though, in that Let’s Knife had fallen out of print and wasn’t available for streaming. Since Let’s Knife’s absence from streamers was beyond the band’s control, Shonen Knife’s U.S. producer Robby Takac (who is also bassist of Goo Goo Dolls and head of Good Charamel Records) suggested that they re-record it. “I thought it was a very good idea,” says Naoko. Not only would the songs be available again, but they would be recorded by the current lineup. Atsuko, Naoko’s sister, played drums for the band in the early 1990s. Now, she’s the bassist. Drummer Risa has been part of the fold for a little more than a decade.
Plus, Let’s Knife itself included re-recordings of songs from Shonen Knife’s earlier releases. “Let’s Knife is a kind of best hits album from our early four albums,” Naoko explains.
Let’s Knife Re-Cut was released on Good Charamel Records in July, right before the band was set to join Men at Work and Toad the Wet Sprocket on a U.S. tour. They’ll finish the tour at the United Theater on Broadway on Thursday, August 20.
Founded in 1981, Shonen Knife developed from Naoko’s love of punk bands who wrote tight songs with killer melodies. “When I started Shonen Knife, I was very inspired by the Ramones, Buzzcocks and The Jam. Late ‘70s punk-pop bands,” she says. A few years later the band’s music, which had only been released in Japan at that point, caught the ear of musician and K Records founder Calvin Johnson. “He came to Japan and coincidentally bought our records in Tokyo. He brought back our album to America and he wanted to release our album from his label, K Records,” Naoko recalls. “He sent me a postal mail, not email, there was no email in the late ‘80s. We exchanged postal mail. We sent our master tape to him and he released our cassette album, called Burning Farm.”
Shonen Knife became a cult favorite in the U.S. indie scene. In fact, in 1989, a tribute album called Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them, brought together the likes of Redd Kross, L7, Sonic Youth and Babes in Toyland to cover their songs. (Related trivia: Shonen Knife has a song called “Redd Kross” and the L.A. punk band has a song called “Shonen Knife.”)
It was a “very busy and exciting time,” says Naoko. “We were touring very often, but first, in 1989, we went to Los Angeles to play just one show,” she recalls. “Also, when we went to Los Angeles in 1991, Kurt Cobain came to our show and I didn’t know about that at the time.”
Shonen Knife opened for Nirvana in the U.K. and U.S.. They played Reading Festival in the U.K. and Lollapalooza here. Then, they got to open for the Ramones in Osaka. Since Let’s Knife, the band has released more than a dozen studio albums, including the popular Osaka Ramones album. (Osaka Ramones gigs in New York, Indianapolis and Denver are part of this summer’s U.S. tour itinerary.) The band’s most recent album, the food-centric Our Best Place, is fantastic, with songs like “Vamos Taquitos” and “Spicy Veggie Curry” that are bound to make you hungry.
What I always loved about Shonen Knife is how they fused punk and pop in such a seamless way. They are one of few, if not the only, band who can successfully cover both the Ramones and the Carpenters. Their original tunes owe as much to the Beatles, Beach Boys and ‘60s girl groups as to ‘70s punks. Visually, too, they had developed a DIY-meets-retro aesthetic back when you could still find ‘60s threads in legit thrift stores. And they did this all in a way that was very fun and unpretentious. That spirit of fun still remains in Shonen Knife’s music and videos.
“I’m just having fun when I play music,” says Naoko. “Our audiences’ happy faces make me happy. I get happy and the audience can get happy, so it’s a very good cycle. It became my motivation.”
Let’s Knife Re-Cut by Shonen Knife is out now. Catch them in Los Angeles at United Theater on Broadway with Men Without Hats and Toad the Wet Sprocket on Thursday, August 20.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
Listen to the August 2026 edition of Beatique with music from Arctic Monkeys, Divine Comedy, Boy Harsher, horsegiirL, Turnstile and more.
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