Last year, Otoboke Beaver released a new full-length, Itekoma Hits, a sort-of greatest hits album of new and slightly old songs meant to show off the many dynamic sides of the Japanese rockers who have been around for over a decade. Today, they’re releasing a new one-off track ahead of a European tour. It’s called “I Am Not Maternal アイドンビリーブマイ母性” and it’s high-energy and infectious.

Here’s how the band’s vocalist Acco framed the track in a statement:

I’ve met a lot of people who insist “giving birth is obligation”. I’ve never had the thought “I want a baby”, and I don’t think this is bad. I see news of child neglect in Japanese media, but I can’t say that ‘it couldn’t be me’ that is reported there. All mothers are just human too.

Sleeve artwork was drawn by Nakagawa Homeopathy, who are two manga artists that Yoshie and I are big fans of, so we are honored to be able to collaborate together. They retweeted our “Don’t light my fire” MV, which led them to draw the artwork for this new song.

Listen to it below.

TOUR DATES:
02/06-7 Besancon, FR @ GéNéRiQ Festival
02/10 BBC 6 Music Session (Gideon Coe)
02/13 Groningen, NL @ Vera Groningen
02/14 Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje
02/15 Patronaat, NL @ Complexity Festival
02/18 Bristol, UK @ The Fleece
02/19 Leicester, UK @ The Musician
02/20 Glasgow, UK @ CCA Glasgow
02/21 Gateshead, UK @ Sage Gateshead 2
02/23 London, UK @ Scala
03/16-22 Austin TX @ SXSW Festival
06/02-6 Barcelona, ES @ Primavera Sound
08/20-23 Breacon Beacons, UK @ Green Man Festival

“I Am Not Maternal” is out now via Damnably.