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 17 of the year 2022. Enjoy the new discoveries!
speel plaats – mirror
From their second mini-album mirror, out on the 17th of May, comes the title song that received a music video. The Kyoto-based four-piece band speel plaats (Dutch for the word playground) started its activities in the summer of 2018. With the theme of chasing dreams with melancholy, they are able to put out a powerful sound with the balanced combination of the powerful voice of vocalist and guitarist Ayane and fast-paced guitar work. — Recommended by Francisca
Palastleben – Monaural
Presented as the graceful and corrupt five, Palastleben released a single for the first time, accompanied by a music video. Consisting of band members with different musical backgrounds, such as Marianne Shinonome (Vocalist/keyboardist, Kinoko Hotel), Shinpei Mörishige (Guitarist, FOXPILL CULT), Rie Takeuchi (Saxophone, Music For Isolation), Suzuna Hasegawa (Bassist), and Shintaro (Drummer, MUNIMUNI), they put their own elements into Palastleben’s music, resulting in a combination of new wave, post-punk and alternative rock sound. — Recommended by Francisca
大石晴子 (Haruko Oishi) – さなぎ (Sanagi)
Singer-songwriter Haruko Oishi sings about the subtleties of life using melodies that sound both haunting and mysterious. Where the music is both delicate and strong, swinging between pop and blues, since the start of her activities in 2019, she has attracted attention with her first releases. This week, she released her first album, the first release in two years. The album is filled with unreleased songs that she worked on during the pandemic. — Recommended by Francisca
くだらない1日 (Kudaranai1nichi) – やるせない (Yarusenai)
The Tokyo-based emo/indie rock band Kudaranai1nichi released their second album, Rebound, through the label Ungulates earlier this week. When the band was formed in 2016, the band members at that time were high school students in Fukuoka. After some member changes, the guitarist and vocalist Takane moved to the metropolis to start playing with session members until he found the current band members. — Recommended by Francisca
カライドスコープ (Kaleid Scope) – Hungry
Formed in 2020, Kaleid Scope are a three-piece all-female pop-rock band from Kyoto. The band members have been mainly active as a cover band before they started to create original music starting in 2021 where they promote the music as colourful pop and themselves as messy rockin’ girls. In the last few months, they have been busy with performances, putting out several music videos and singles to present themselves to a bigger audience. — Recommended by Francisca
東京サイコパス (Tokyo Psychopath) – Suicide Society
After the announcement of the formation in the summer of 2021, Tokyo Psychopath made their stage debut a few days before Halloween in 2021, on the 29th of October at Shibuya Chelsea Hotel. While they have only been active for a short time, the four-member punk rock idol group has released several singles and music videos that clearly showcase the concept of ‘the craziest punk idol’. — Recommended by Francisca *Video was republished a couple of days later.
Blacklab – Abyss Woods
Currently in Europe for a couple of shows, the duo BlackLab, describing themselves as ‘the dark witch doom noise from Osaka’, will release a new album, their third, coming summer, of which Abyss Woods is their warming-up. Undeniably part of the Japanese stoner doom scene, their music is overwhelming and heavy-hitting, sometimes falling under the psych label and sometimes hardcore punk. — 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.
