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 Japanese music acts that are definitely worth watching and need some extra focus, with an emphasis on the lesser-known names.
We are now looking back on a selection of videos released in week 10 of 2024. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new discoveries!
ベンチウォーマーズ (Bench Warmers) – おかえり (Okaeri)
It looks like this band’s vocalist and guitarist Sake Nomoka only very recently decided to start a band, Bench Warmers, a three-member band based in Osaka. Earlier this week, the very first digital single was released and in the meantime, two music videos have been produced and furthermore, the band had their very first gig last month. In case you are interested in music with pop melodies, loud guitars and nice vocals, then you should keep an eye on this band. — Recommended by Francisca
帰りの会 (Kaeri No Kai) – 昨夜未明 (Where I Was)
The five-member rock band started activities in the summer of 2020, at the time of the pandemic. If you pay close attention, you will notice that even though you can find the names of all the band members, who were incidentally involved in Vocaloid and songwriting activities for this band, the faces of the musicians remain hidden. The music is centred around two guitars with vocals that are fragile on one side and powerful on the other. Last week, the band released a new digital single and it remains to be seen what else the band has planned for 2024. — Recommended by Francisca
STRiKE VACK. – Resonance.
Last year, the visual kei rock band Screaming Inside Can Kill. (abbreviated to Sick.) suddenly reappeared with new music, but as it seems, but it seems what this return was short-lived. The vocalist of that band, Tatsuki Nakanishi, decided to create his own band, STRiKE VACK., a five-piece rock band centred around the vocalist. At the start of this year, the band STRiKE VACK. dropped a full album with songs that have been written by the vocalist in the last 6 years, hence the title SiX YEVRS. — Recommended by Francisca
THE MADNA – BLAZE
Formed in 2021, the four-piece visual kei band THE MADNA might best be described as a “mixture band”, as they are known for their adventurous spirit in regards to music exploration and pushing boundaries. All band members have rich experiences in other bands, think of NEVERLAND, DADAROMA and Smileberry, among others, and that might be the reason why they bring new perspectives into their current music project. From the start, the four-piece has been busy releasing new music, last October, they released their first album, titled ElecTЯiP, and the new single is the follow-up. — Recommended by Francisca
おじさんと小娘 (Ojisan to Komusume) – 鈴凛 (RinRin)
This duo, consisting of Micchi (the uncle, ojisan) and Mana (the young girl, komusume), began their activities on TikTok in the spring of 2022, consisting of making music that warms the heart. And that had been a good choice because within six months they managed to reach 100,000 followers with their music and interaction. In January 2023, they had their first one-man show. They describe their live shows as a warm gathering of family members. To date, they have released two singles and it remains to be seen what else they have in store for 2024. — Recommended by Francisca
YOWLL x THYPALM – Ikazuchi
A joint tour resulting in a collaborative song, YOWLL, making rock music in the corner of grunge and THYPALM, a three-piece psychedelic rock band from Osaka, have just completed their joint tour and the song Ikazuchi is the (soon nostalgic) result of this collaboration. The music video for this song, featuring footage from the tour, lets viewers feel the dynamics the musicians experienced during gigs, as well as the growth between the two bands’ music and bonding. — Recommended by Francisca
破滅ロマンス (Hametsu Romance) – 鬼 (Oni)
Oni is the title of Hametsu Romance’s first single and also its first music video in over a year, but in the meantime, Hametsu Romance has released a handful more singles. The music this music unit produces is brought with the mindset of a magic pill that you actually get on prescription with the mission to transform the struggles of everyday life into a beautifully embellished story. It’s probably good to know that vocalist Ea Umeboshi also releases solo material. — 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.
