The story of Cibo Matto's return to the public eye is, thankfully, not one powered by cold, hard cash. Not for these two, the cynical resurrection of a successful youth in front of a high-paying audience — anyone lucky enough to have seen the London show last summer, where the duo played vast swathes of its new album, can attest to that. With the exception of a handful of shows supporting the victims of the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, it's notable that Cibo Matto has chosen to return on the back of a strong new collection, made with the support, and in the bosom, of good friends. Tsunami relief, a passion for creating something new, and what amounts to a family album: You might say that Cibo Matto's comeback is sponsored entirely by love.
Love is certainly at the heart of the conversation when I chat with Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori shortly after New Year's. It was always going to be the case, of course — unavoidable when your album is titled "Hotel Valentine" — but they're clearly over the moon about being back in each other's company. "This time around," gushes Honda, "I'm aware of how important Miho is to me; how special our chemistry is. It's not just coincidence."
For anyone needing a quick recap, Honda and Hatori formed Cibo Matto in New York in 1994, having met through their involvement with noise band, Leitoh Lychee. Things happened incredibly fast for the duo, signing quickly to Warner Bros. Records and pumping out two albums, two EPs, a series of singles and a groundbreaking Michael Gondry-directed video for the track "Sugar Water," before collapsing in exhaustion in the early 2000s. Never what you'd call a mainstream band, their mix of off-the-wall samples, hip-hop and pure melody had an interesting influence, and they've since been called upon to collaborate with some fairly diverse names. Most famously, you'll find Hatori's voice behind Gorillaz' character Noodle, while Honda is a partner in Sean Lennon's Chimera Music label venture ("it's like a soba shop run by a family"), as well as occasional musical director to his mother.