LOS ANGELES, CA- There are music videos that tell stories, music videos that complement songs, and then there are music videos that leave you wondering what on earth you just watched. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s latest single, “Pang Pang Pang,” falls squarely into that third category. And I mean that in the best possible way.
The Japanese pop icon has returned with another delightfully bizarre offering, produced by longtime collaborator Yasutaka Nakata and accompanied by a music video directed by Jun Tamukai. Released through ASOBISYSTEM, the song also serves as the ending theme for the anime Pan Dorobo, adapted from a popular Japanese picture book series. The release coincides with Kyary’s 15th anniversary as a recording artist, making its playful references to her breakthrough hit “PONPONPON” particularly appropriate.
But I’ll admit that none of that background information was what initially grabbed my attention.
It was the bread.
During the song’s relentlessly repetitive “Pang Pang Pang” sections, Kyary enthusiastically pounds away at a mound of dough, her movements synchronized with the music’s pounding electronic beat. As the video unfolds, that dough becomes a character with whom she develops an unlikely friendship. It’s an utterly absurd premise, presented with such cheerful sincerity that I found myself completely fascinated.
There’s something wonderfully ridiculous about watching a pop star rhythmically assault bread dough, only to eventually befriend it. And yet, within the candy-colored universe Kyary and Tamukai have constructed, it somehow makes perfect sense.
Naturally, my curiosity got the better of me. I wanted to know whether the Japanese lyrics might provide some deeper explanation for what I was watching. So I translated them into English.
That didn’t exactly clear things up.
Instead, I found myself confronted with imagery involving whispering grain, swaying shadows, waking mornings, and dreams being kneaded into existence. The lyrics were every bit as surreal as the visuals. Rather than uncovering some hidden narrative, the translation only pulled me further into the absurdity.
And I loved that.
The repeated Japanese word “pan,” meaning bread, doubles as a percussive vocal hook. The syllables tumble over one another, interrupted by a simple count of “1, 2, 3, 4” before the chorus launches back into its infectious refrain. It’s an almost childlike approach to songwriting, but one that becomes remarkably effective when paired with Nakata’s electronic production.
Because beneath all this colorful nonsense is a track that feels absolutely made for the club.
“Pang Pang Pang” rides a driving, four-on-the-floor beat with the relentless momentum of a rave anthem. Its hyperpop sensibilities, repetitive vocal patterns, and punchy electronic textures create a hypnotic energy that feels equally suited to a packed dance floor or a late-night festival tent.
The production doesn’t necessarily ask listeners to contemplate the lyrics. It asks them to move.
And when paired with the music video, that rhythmic insistence becomes even more intoxicating.
Tamukai, now collaborating with Kyary for the 17th time, fills the screen with bright colors, exaggerated choreography, comical expressions, and rapid-fire edits. Set largely within a retro-inspired kitchen, the video resembles a children’s television program that somehow wandered into an underground electronic music festival.
The video also pays homage to “PONPONPON,” the 2011 single that helped introduce Kyary’s eccentric Harajuku aesthetic to an international audience. Fifteen years later, the visual callbacks feel less like an exercise in nostalgia and more like a celebration of an artistic identity that has remained remarkably distinctive.
What I found particularly interesting, though, was my own reaction.
I’ll readily admit that I’ve probably aged out of the club and rave scene where a track like this would thrive. My days of spending hours on a crowded dance floor are largely behind me. But that didn’t stop me from watching “Pang Pang Pang” two or three times in succession.
I was genuinely hypnotized.
There was something about the combination of the relentless electronic beat, the bright Japanese pop aesthetic, the punchy editing, and the wonderfully nonsensical story that kept pulling me back. The music and visuals seemed to operate together as one continuous sensory experience, each reinforcing the other’s peculiar charm.
And somewhere along the way, I stopped trying to make sense of it.
Perhaps that was the point all along.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has spent the better part of 15 years building a career around transforming the strange, the playful, and the seemingly ridiculous into something undeniably captivating. From her early emergence in Harajuku’s street-fashion culture to her international tours and Coachella performances, she’s demonstrated that pop music doesn’t always have to take itself seriously to leave a lasting impression.
“Pang Pang Pang” feels like a continuation of that philosophy. It’s a song about bread, accompanied by a video about making friends with bread, propelled by an electronic beat that could easily command a dance floor.
On paper, it sounds ridiculous. In practice, it’s strangely irresistible.
I may not be rushing out to the next rave anytime soon, but for a few minutes, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu managed to transport me into her wonderfully absurd world.
And I enjoyed every second of it.
Watch the official music video for “Pang Pang Pang” and listen to the single, available now via ASOBISYSTEM.
Follow Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.
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