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 16 of the year 2022. Enjoy the new discoveries!
BAD BABY BOMB – BAD BABY BOMB
We had to wait a while for new music from the ladies of BAD BABY BOMB, a four-piece formed in the winter of 2019, but they returned earlier this week with a new music video that most likely captured the band’s theme song filled with the aspects characterising them with their different (musical) backgrounds, the ‘bad princesses’ in the world of Japanese girl bands, not confined by one music genre. — Recommended by Francisca
DeNeel – 煙 (Kemuri)
DeNeel released their second mini-album, titled SYMBOL, earlier this week with the meaning that the direction of the band has begun to solidify. The four-piece band was formed in 2017 in Osaka but they have moved in the meantime to the metropole of Tokyo and have been gaining a lot of attention since the release of their first album, MASK, in 2020. DeNeel’s sound is a mix of nostalgic sound overlaid with a modern sound inspired by different genres which they label as Osaka Revival Pop. — Recommended by Francisca
Love de Okapia – 騒騒 (Saisai)
It seems that the indie rock band Love de Okapia got formed at the end of 2020, with their first song released in the first quarter of 2021. The young musicians have been focusing on producing and releasing music, including an EP in October of 2021, before the Tokyo-based band decided to take to the stage in February this year. Fun fact: this video was filmed in the middle of the winter. — Recommended by Francisca
PROCYON – Number
This week, the Kobe-based art-pop band PROCYON released the album DATSU, filled with studio recordings with seemingly the message to break away from how you think of band at this moment. From the start in the summer of 2017, they are creating music, filled with memorable melodies, groove-driven floatiness and a dynamic sound transcending genres such as psychedelic pop, dream pop, alternative rock and chillwave. — Recommended by Francisca
CONKOTA – 夜が終わっても (Even after the night is over.)
Based in Tokyo, the rock band CONKOTA’s activities seem to have started in the spring of 2016, at that time they were operating under the name Congratulations! KOTATSU. So now we know where the current band name originates from! Currently the three-piece is in the middle of releasing singles for 3 consecutive months, of which Even after the night is over. is the first in line. — Recommended by Francisca
Ablaze – Scapegoat
After the search for a vocalist for the melodic metalcore band Ablaze in early 2021, vocalist MATUWEL got recruited to make the band complete. One year later, the band Tokyo-based five-piece has been working hard in regards to new music (the first EP will be soon released) and performances to show what they have to offer in the metalcore scene. Their first music video for Scapegoat is only the next step in a probably long career. — Recommended by Francisca
1st crack – Cosmos
Characterised by the high-tone vocals of KEIGO and pop-oriented sound, this band from the city of Asahikawa located in Hokkaido, has their roots in melodic punk which is likely to surprise the listener by their way of making music which sometimes even goes towards guitar rock. 1st crack began operations in 2016, comprising three band members and released several different records. The latest release was the album Elysian Landscape. — 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.
