If you wanted to pinpoint the moment Cero broke the glass ceiling of Japan's indie music scene, it would be March 7, 2016. That's when the group — still cresting on the buzz generated by its "Obscure Ride" album the previous year — performed that record's signature singalong, "Summer Soul," alongside aging boy band SMAP on the latter's "SMAP×SMAP" show.
Though the Tokyo-based trio had been steadily expanding the audience for its brainy, eclectic art-pop, there was something surreal about seeing it on prime-time TV, occupying a guest spot normally reserved for established J-pop artists and pedigree international acts (the following week, it was Kool & The Gang's turn).
Other bands would have taken this as a cue to record an entire record's worth of songs like "Summer Soul," a breezy acid-jazz groove that was tailor-made for festival audiences and lucrative sync opportunities. But anyone expecting Cero's latest album to sound like Suchmos is in for a disappointment.