The thing that first appealed to me about Japanese band Seventeen Years Old And Berlin Wall was their name. It’s a moniker that gives no indication about what style of music they play, and as such, it added a layer of intrigue; it could conceivably belong to a heavy metal outfit or an indie group. As it transpires, Seventeen Years Old And Berlin Wall hail from Tokyo and peddle a rather nice line in shoegaze/noise rock and garnish their songs with a strong pop sensibility. Since releasing their debut EP in 2015 (Aspect), the band have left a tantalising trail of vinyl which leads to their latest offering Distance.
Seventeen Years Old And Berlin Wall have a sound that knows no boundaries, you feel that there’s no genre off limits, and this has given them an exorbitant amount of musical freedom. Subsequently, opening song Midnight Nonfiction opens with a soulful flourish that wouldn’t sound out of place on a classic Barry White record, but in the context of this song, it is exactly the right move. It immediately gives the track a nocturnal feel, and places the listener in a soundscape of neon-lit streets and lonely dive bars. Midnight Nonfiction (and the whole record) exists in that magical moment when daytime turns to dusk, the instruments and vocals have that special kind of soft focus which captures that time as day turns to night and the sky takes on a wonderfully bruised coloured hue.
You might expect a band in the shoegaze sphere to be operating with a kind of melancholic, self-absorption, but not so this Tokyo quartet. Landmark shines and sparkles like stars in an inky black sky with the guitars of Yusei Tsuruta (also synths/vocals) and Takuji Yoshida bouncing as if light through a prism. However, there are plenty of introspective moments too such as the EP’s sublime single Smoke Candle (on which there’s some neat vocal interplay between Yusei and bassist Eriko Takano) and closer Transparent Figures. In fact, the sequencing of this EP is perfect and, from its bright beginnings, takes on more thoughtful tones as it progresses. There’s a clear line of travel here, and while it is perfectly feasible to dip in and out, it is best consumed in one sitting to fully appreciate its flow.
At just four songs, my only complaint with Distance is that it is too short. It would have been cool if it had been longer so the band could have developed the themes further, but true to the old adage, it certainly leaves you hungry for more.
Distance tracklisting:
1. Midnight Nonfiction
2. Landmark
3. Smoke Candle
4. Transparent Figures
Recently, the EP was released as a limited cassette via independent label Gerpfast Records from Indonesia, which has been since sold out. The CD version of the EP can be purchased through CD Japan (affiliate link) and digitally via the Bandcamp page of the band.
