With a large music industry such as Japan has, the second largest in the world, it is inevitable that music fans will be inundated with a profusion of good (and also less good) music from this country. It is impossible to keep track of this and write a review about it per video. But to avoid missing out on gems, it is time for a weekly list of new music videos from lesser-known Japanese musical acts that are definitely worth watching. We are now looking back on a couple of videos that were released in week 23 of the year 2021. Enjoy the new discoveries!
キリエ (Kirye) – ホロンの唄 (Horon no uta)
Progressive melodic post-rock band Kirye got formed in the autumn of 2018 and are active in Tokyo. Currently consisting of 6 band members, the band released their first mini-album last year, titled NETAMI. The band focuses on writings songs where technical play highlights melodic lyricism. — Recommended by Francisca
HENNESSY – 反撃前夜 (Hangeki Zenya)
Based in Hiroshima, HENNESY got formed in 2009 consisting of four members. The rock band is well-known in their hometown of Hiroshima because they have been actively organising events over there. The four-piece has a couple of albums and singles on its name and HICCO’s powerful voice can be regarded as an important aspect of this band. — Recommended by Francisca
BELL-FLOWER JAM – キャンドルライト (Candle Light)
Kumamoto-based rock band BELL-FLOWER JAM got formed in 2018 under the name Charlotte. The band released a couple of CDs, joined an omnibus release and created a couple of music videos. This year they are active under the current band name and present themselves as a rock’n’roll band with a neo-retro sound based on the principle of Love & Blues. — Recommended by Francisca
SEEK US NEED – Dark Blood
After teasing for days, talking about the release of a new music video and the road towards it, the young rock band SEEK US NEED came with the introduction of their third single, Dark Blood. The Tokyo-based five-piece is quite active on social media and likes to share what they are working on and how they reach their goals. Definitely worth following. — Recommended by Francisca
tk2tk – チューインガム (Chewing gum)
tk2tk (read as Takatsutaka) got formed as a duo in 2020, consisting of singer and guitarist Katsuhisa Hirata and guitarist Takahiro Endo. They recently released their third music video, which is also their third digital single ten months after their latest release. It is also the first time that the frontman directed the music video. — Recommended by Francisca
Shiki – Sea knot, Death glow.
Based in Kumamoto, Shiki got formed in 2017 by three musicians, each of whom has been active in other bands. The three members create a soft mysterious sound that plays with genres such as shoegaze, city pop, dance and hip-hop, among others. In July, they will release their second album, titled Hue. — Recommended by Francisca
C Case – エンドロールは素晴らしい平凡を (End Credits Are Great Mediocre)
Rock band C Case got formed somewhere around the year 2017, according to their website, the four-piece is mostly active in Tokyo. The band is centred around the guitarist and vocalist Ishitsu and they like to mix up genres from Britpop to 90’s alternative music, pop-punk and more. This week they released their first mini-album, titled screw it. — Recommended by Francisca
Next week we will be back for a new list of new music videos to check out. But you can also look back to the earlier editions of this weekly article series for when you yearn for more musical gems!
