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 15 of 2024. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new discoveries!
Salmiakki crew – opamp.
Described as an alternative city rock band, this four-piece formation was formed in 2023 by vocalist and guitarist MURUAI, who has been active in indie rock bands like Uminote and FILMREEL. He is also behind the lyrics and compositions that highlight his pessimistic and sentimental worldview. Backed by the rhythm section, the band’s music combines the roughness of alternative rock with the lightness of city pop, providing a diversity of expressions. — Recommended by Francisca
個リン (Corin) – 無重力 (Muzyuuryoku)
We have arrived at the fourth single, a digital release, from Hiroshima-based musician Corin, who says she produces fantasy pop. This song compares the ideal world people envision to the universe and Corin sings about the days of mixed despair and hope. Looking at the releases and when Corin started her social media, it looks like the singer-songwriter officially kicked off with activities last summer. Corin’s very first single was released in September of that year. — Recommended by Francisca
ヒッチコック (Hitchcock) – サリドマイド (Thalidomide)
After the release of their mini-album Deep Under in December last year, fans of Hitchcock had to wait a while for new music from the visual kei band, as another mini-album will be released in June with the men dressed in bloody white attire. The band started activities in 2020 as a duo and is now a full-fledged four-piece band, even though the pandemic made much impossible for everybody over the whole world, the band still managed to regularly arrive with new music with a dark tone. — Recommended by Francisca
カタソビ (Katasobi) – Magnolia
This year, acoustic duo Katasobi is celebrating the fifth anniversary of their music project and to celebrate this they have started a crowdfunding project to organise an event in Niigata prefecture. They aim to bring a fantasy world from childhood dreams to life in art, suitable for both young and old. With their expressive vocals, strong message-driven lyrics and unique guitar sounds, they create a captivating and distinctive atmosphere. A highlight for the duo is achieving 20,000 views for the first time for one of their music videos, namely for the song Magnolia, which can be found on a mini-album the two released in December last year. — Recommended by Francisca
Hwyl – 普通の顔 (Futsu no Kao)
Hwyl’s most recent release is a six-track EP titled K/ERA, succeeding their first EP released in May 2023. The lyrics for the songs on this record were written by vocalist and guitarist Risa and reflect the challenges of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic while also portraying ordinary everyday life and harsh realities. With this, they manage to reach the younger generation in particular At the end of this month, the trio has scheduled their first-ever one-man show at the Shibuya Spotify O-Crest. — Recommended by Francisca
Girl and Shipwreck – ship
After releasing its first single last October, caravan, the very young band that draws inspiration from Japanese dream pop and British indie pop bands such as Beach Fossils, DIIV and Galileo Galilei, released a new single titled ship. In a tweet from Holiday! Records said something along the lines that this four-piece formation is openly trying to follow in the footsteps of For Tracy Hyde. Although they have only just started, this band’s music sounds promising. — Recommended by Francisca
Catt – town of silver
Not to be confused with the German multi-instrumentalist who is active under the same name as this Tokyo-based alternative rock band Catt. After starting to perform in the spring of 2018, they started to release music in 2020, topped by a self-titled mini-album. This week, they released their first music video in about two years to promote their newest single and this single is the precursor to their album At The End of Corridor. The band is still going strong and the new album is something to look forward to! — 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.
