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 5 of the year 2022. Enjoy the new discoveries!
my beautiful slumber – Mayday
The Osaka-based alternative rock band my beautiful slumber got formed in the spring of 2018 when the three friends, two high school friends and a university friend, came together. The band seems to be centred around the vocalist and guitarist Masaharu Sato. The band has roots in pop, post-rock and guitar rock. The discography of my beautiful slumber consists of several (digital) singles, a mini-album and an EP. Hopefully there will be a full-fledged album soon from this three-piece. — Recommended by Francisca
Mez-zo-forute – マイノリティ (Minority)
On the ninth of February, Nagoya-based high-tone guitar rock band Mez-zo-forute will release their second EP, titled 蛍雪 (Kaisetsu). The rock band has come a long way. The four-piece exists since the spring of 2015, originally as a cover band, but eventually started to write original songs and releasing a handful of singles. After several line-up changes and even a break, the band won RO JACK for COUNTDOWN JAPAN 19/20 and started a crowdfunding campaign for their first mini-album, 黎明 (Reimei). — Recommended by Francisca
DOGULA MAGULA Fanfare – LoSt
Singer-songwriter and composer Meilin decided recently that she wanted to start a solo project to create music that will – according to her – melt your bones. That became DOGULA MAGULA Fanfare. LoSt can be found on the very first single of DOGULA MAGULA Fanfare (please note that the name on the subscription services has a typo). The musician is also active in the emotional alternative four-piece band Eelift. — Recommended by Francisca
せりかな (Serikana) – ねえ未来人 (Nee Mirai Hito)
Serikana is a singer-songwriter from Fukui, is currently based in Tokyo, and is in the possession of a guitar with the Earth painted on it. She has performed at a wide range of festivals and events and her songs have been used several times in commercials and TV programmes. The song’s theme seems to be related to the current daily life, the pandemic, how life is going on while staying at home and worrying about loved ones and the future. It can be found back on the upcoming album, second to none. — Recommended by Francisca
深刻なエラー (Shinkoku Na Error) – 水葬 (Suisou)
Suisou is the second song by Tokyo-based shoegaze rock band Shinkoku Na Error. The band’s focus is to express the view of life and death while challenging themselves in regards to music combining various music genres while pursuing a melancholic and dark sound. They have been active since 2020 and released only two singles, but it seems that they are working hard to produce more music works in the near future. — Recommended by Francisca
長嶋水徳 – serval DOG – (Minori Nagashima) – コーク (Kouku)
While being active in downer pop band MINOR THIRD, the bandleader Minori Nagashima is also active with a solo project. This project started in October 2019, half a year after starting the band, when the vocalist and guitarist decided to upload home recordings to Soundcloud and eventually also published music videos and released several singles. It is recommended to listen to this song with the sound on full. — Recommended by Francisca
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4G4gAOlUow
Forbear – Read On
The start of the four-piece formation Forbear lies in the year 2017, when band members from bands like Joseph eats a snail, SADSUMMER, blue friend and Asthenia came together. They worked on songs with sounds reminiscent of shoegaze and grunge on the sly and released their first release on a cassette tape in 2019. This sold out almost immediately and so there was clearly a need for more from this band. In January 2020, the band came out with an album and finally this week, an EP was released from the alternative rock band via Like A Fool Records. — 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.
