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 49 of the year 2021. Enjoy the new discoveries!
yarn. – メテオ (Meteo)
Formed in 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, the group yarn. got formed by musicians, a painter, a composer and a producer. The name for the group was chosen because they saw the formation as a ‘thread spun with intention’, combining the power of music, words, paint and images. The Tokyo-based group consists of seven members and to date, they have released several singles. — Recommended by Francisca
SPENSR – どうしようもないな (Doushiyoumo Naina)
SPENSR is the solo project of singer-songwriter, beatmaker and producer Kazuki Utsumi, he recently released a new EP with the title Beats In The Morning. The Tokyo-based artist does not only write and arrange the songs, but also plays all the instruments, mixes, designs and produces his own music videos. He is influenced by pop music, neo-soul, R&B, disco music and city pop. — Recommended by Francisca
GRAND MOTHER SAID – nineteen
The music genres linked to the Hokkaido-based four-piece band GRAND MOTHER SAID are easycore, emo and pop-punk. The band has been active for several years now and released an EP titled GOLDEN EXPLORER in the summer of 2019 and recently also a single. As the video below reveals, the band likes to show off some goofy stuff, on their YouTube channel there is much more of what the band has in store. — Recommended by Francisca
ZIÄ FUNERÄL – mayday
It’s always interesting to see a band suddenly emerge and announce that they have something new in store for music lovers. If you’re familiar with the artists lohani (vocalist and rapper), bassist xxxxvalentine (DALLE, ex-Lüstzöe, ex-THE HATE HONEY and more) and guitarist yu-$uke (UNRULY, ex-SiCX, ex-Lüstzöe), then it’s probably not strange to expect an interesting project. mayday contains a mixture of Latin beat, crossover jazz, and even goth. XTEEN’s Hinako Himekusa is also featured on the single (and video). — Recommended by Francisca
苑QUIET (Sono QUIET) – GOCHAMAZE
GOCHAMAZE is the second digital single by Sono QUIET, a young Tokyo-based musician who likes to surround herself with the dark world. Together with actor Kaz, Sono QUIET is part of Nobody’s, a visual art project. At the end of 2020, she decided to release music on her own, blending (dark) pop and rock with electronic elements, with Kaz being a part in the music videos. — Recommended by Francisca
Carpenter’sBlue – stone/flower
From their second single comes the song stone/flower, created by the shoegaze band Carpenter’sBlue consisting of three band members. The band is based in Machida, a city located in the west of metropolis Tokyo, and has been active since the summer of 2019. At the moment, they can be found on stage a lot. For those unable to watch them live, there is luckily a live video shared from one of their performances on their YouTube channel. — Recommended by Francisca
ガールズ・オン・ザ・ラン (Girls On The Run) – とても寒い日 (Totemo Samui Hi)
Girls On The Run got formed in 2019 by vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Sugimoto, after she decided to move from her hometown in Aomori Prefecture to Tokyo. After a couple of demos, it was time for the four-piece to release an EP in November 2020, titled サンクチュアリ (Sanctuary). Last September, a double A-side single was released, one of the tracks has now received a music video. The band describes itself as a folk-punk rock band with sharp songs and high-energy performances. — 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! Want to read more about how this project started or check out the YouTube playlists? Click here for all the information.
