Helsinki, Finland based Psychedelic Progressive Rock power trio Kaleidobolt have unveiled the new single “Astro Boy / Ochanomizu” taken from their upcoming fifth album, “Karakuchi,” set for release on March 06, 2026 via Svart Records.
Stream “Astro Boy / Ochanomizu” via the YouTube player below:
Purchase and Stream “Astro Boy / Ochanomizu” here: https://orcd.co/astroboyochanomizu
“Karakuchi” is one record you can judge by its cover. The first time Kaleidobolt’s faces have adorned an LP, they have been fused into a torpedoing biomechanical vehicle. Echoing The Birthday Party’s “Junkyard” or Motörhead’s “Orgasmatron” (…on acid?!), the illustration epitomises perfectly Kaleidobolt’s agenda of “hyperkinetic rock.” Their feverish, Psych-Prog sound is full of motion. It jerks around at different speeds, threatening to spin out of control and crash into flames at any given moment.
“Astro Boy / Ochanomizu” serves as the third and final taste from the upcoming album. The band’s guitarist and singer Sampo Kääriäinen had this to say about it:
“We’ve all been Astro Boy at some point in our lives. He was meant to be an avatar of how things were, but when reality didn’t match that vision – cutting corners here a bit, he became a fucking superhero instead, carrying more weight than he ever should have had to. It’s a story as old as time, and a shared experience among all human beings. The song moves through many valleys: from a crimson-colored intro, to galloping through the fields, to unexpectedly soothing melodies, into a world of shredding – and back again. Astro Boy has it all. It ends in something Kaleidobolt rarely allows itself: a loose jam, an evening stroll through the streets of Ochanomizu.”
“Karakuchi” isn’t taken too seriously. This is heavy and intricate music, yes. But as bassist and co-singer Marco Menestrina puts it, the Kaleidobolt attitude is “an ugly smirk more than an angry face with a fist.”
On their fifth album since forming in 2014, the Helsinki-based outfit lean into their strengths as a formidable power trio. With their previous two records, 2019’s “Bitter” and 2022’s “This One Simple Trick,” they had thrown everything at their disposal into the recording with no expense spared on overdubs, effects and kitchen sinks. Produced again by Niko Lehdontie (Oranssi Pazuzu), “Karakuchi” comes from tightly rehearsed, live-in-the-studio takes. Kaleidobolt realise that greater sparsity can be a strength, and they’ve allowed their instruments extra space to breathe. It makes for their earthiest, purest and perhaps most authentic record to date.
As for their new album’s title, that’s as suitable as the cover art. “Karakuchi” is the slogan of the Japanese beer brand Asahi Super Dry. Translated literally, this means “pungent to the mouth”. As drinkers of that product, Kaleidobolt acknowledge its parallels to their songs. “It’s very intense, right at the front, like at the first bite,” explains Menestrina. “And then it leaves your mouth feeling refreshed. The flavour doesn’t linger in your mouth, basically. It has a quick, hard finish. With a bit of a stretch, we thought that that could also be said of our music.”
“Karakuchi” is Kaleidobolt at their hardest, fastest, tightest and super-driest. Pungent to the ears.
Tracklist:
01. Tinkerbell
02. Lights On, Nobody Home
03. Coping
04. Astro Boy/Ochanomizu
05. Duuude
06. Friends Of Fire
07. A Chance Of A Lifetime
08. Turn Of Luck