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 51 of the year 2021. We are almost at the end of the year, time flies? Enjoy the new discoveries!
あるゆえ (Aruyue) – 讃美歌 (Sanbika)
After releasing their first EP, 私以外、騒音 (Watashi Igai Souon), in January of this year, the four-piece rock band has not been sitting still at all. They kept on performing on stage, even organised their first independent project in May and released a photo book filled with live photos and two digital singles. The strength of this band is the strong vocals and punchy rhythms. Now we have to wait for a full album by Aruyue. — Recommended by Francisca
Ethereal Wave – 死海 (Shikai)
Behind the lo-fi music project Ethereal Wave is the American/Japanese duo Sam and Mio. They released their first album, titled 空気のような (Kuuki no youna) in November of 2020. Prior to the project, an ambient and electro album was created, titled Studying Music, under the name etherial.wav. It seems that the music project was renamed and refocused in 2020 before they released a single and an album in the same year. Hopefully there will be new music from this duo soon. — Recommended by Francisca
アンフィル (ANFIEL) – Tragicomedy
Officially debuted at the start of 2015, ANFIEL has a long and interesting history filled from several albums and singles to many performances and still going strong. From the start, the band seems to like to take a lighter route with romantic touches separate from the dark and heavy visual kei bands we know. The visual kei band recently released its fourth album, titled BEAUTIFUL ERA and will celebrate the 7th anniversary of a band in 2022 with a show. — Recommended by Francisca
XIAN – Elegia
Elegia is the debut song by brand-new music unit XIAN, consisting of Kyoto-based musician and DJ Sailor Kannako as the vocalist and lyricist and Tokyo-based musician 剤電 -Zie- (Sou Hayano, also known for his activities in the hardcore punk band KLONNS and many more) providing for the music. Described as a new century cyberpunk tune with a blood-curdling roar and influenced by aesthetic music like gothic rock, witch house and visual kei. A debut that hungers for more. — Recommended by Francisca
JasonAndrew – ZERO/Know Your Enemy
Formed in 2016 with Yokohama as their home base, the four band members knew each other from high school. The melodic hardcore band themselves say they have never followed trends and work with a core of their own activities. Meanwhile, JasonAndrew made a name for itself in the underground scene of melodic punk, metalcore, and hardcore. To date, the band has released a demo album, several singles and participated in a compilation album. It is said by many that the band should definitely be experienced live. — Recommended by Francisca
Morbid Sloth – parallel
Morbid Sloth are a four-piece melodic emo rock band hailing from Tokyo. To date, they have released several singles, including two limited singles and two mini-albums. On 6 March 2022, they will have a tour final, which they dubbed a release tour final for their second mini-album and their second limited single, at Takadanobaba Club Phase. This event will be streamed live on YouTube for free. It is now waiting for a full-length album by this band! — Recommended by Francisca
The Gentle Flower. – Teardrop
The Gentle Flower. are a four-piece rock band from Numata, a city in the prefecture of Gunma. The rock band launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the creation of a music video for their first single, Teardrop, which was successful by more than 100%. The end result can be viewed below. At the moment, the band has been active for more than three years and can be found a lot on the stage. 2022 could be a very promising year for this band. — 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.
