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 selection of videos that were released in week 24 of 2023. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new discoveries!
昨夜のレイトショー (The last night’s late show) – X海岸 (X-beach)
A year after the release of EP Line 12, which was well received, alternative rock band The last night’s late show has released its second single, X-beach. The music video is a combination of desperate lyrics with no escape and eerie visuals, which should make it intriguing. In any case, it is different from previous songs by Geonald. On his website, he describes the story of the song, which went through several stages until he finally found it good enough to publish it. Originally, this is a solo project by Geonaldo with the theme of sharing a worldview like a short film, but he regularly works with other musicians to perfect his music. — Recommended by Francisca
DEZERT – 君の脊髄が踊る頃に (Kimi no sekizui ga odoro koro ni)
It seems that the four men of DEZERT have taken a turn towards heaviness with this latest single, as if the four-piece visual kei band looked back at their previous work, but it seems to be resonating well with fans. The band has been around since 2011 and has gained quite a fanbase thanks to their songs full of lyrics that weave pain and darkness into grotesque expressions. Despite not doing much promotion in the beginning, the band has grown bigger through live performances and word of mouth, which is an interesting fact. The number of releases is not proportional to the number of years the band has been active, since they place a great importance on remaining true to their own will and will not release music until they are satisfied with it. — Recommended by Francisca
13.3g – エレファントマン (Elephant Man)
We have written before about the Osaka-based band 13.3g (read: Juusan Tensan Gram) but in the meantime, the four men have been busy. The quartet began their operations in 2021 and has since released a hand full of singles and a mini-album. Earlier this year, they were able to add a full-length album to their discography, titled Ashtray. They enjoy combining a variety of sounds, from music genres falling under dance music to funk and pop, and describe their style as being “ever-changing faces” and “genre-less and borderless”. So if you like this, it’s good to know that their music can be found on streaming services. — Recommended by Francisca
愛探眼影 (Ai Sagasu Eyeshadow) – 深海遊戯 (Shinkai Yuugi)
Ai Sagasu Eyeshadow is Yukina’s solo project, the singer-songwriter was previously active in several idol groups, such as pipia and 9DayzGlitchClubTokyo, but also active in the band Lie bling. After starting a solo project under her own name and as Violet World, she restarted at the end of 2022 as Ai Sagasu Eyeshadow. The first mini-album under this new project has been released in May of this year. The music video is based on the concept of the deep sea. Yukina’s speciality is painting, something that she also incorporates into her project, by creating one-off paintings based on her songs during live shows. — Recommended by Francisca
xatu – VIRTUAL GOD
After releasing a debut song in the spring of 2021, Sad Vision, things remained quiet around the five-piece metalcore band xatu. In April of this year, the band showed a sign of life and this was followed up by the release of a new music video this week, which was well received. Little can be found about the band, besides a Twitter account, the metal band has a YouTube channel with now two music videos and a playthrough video of one of the tracks. The band members seem to like to stay mysterious while presenting solid tracks. If this intrigues you, the advice is to keep an eye on this band via Twitter. — Recommended by Francisca
リリカ (Lyrica) – Strange Rabbit
Visual kei band Lyrica officially launched in May of this year. The band does not come out of nowhere, as it had previously been operating as a project band since early 2022 under the name うさぎのはらわた (Usagi no Harawata) and they have made several appearances on stage and even released a lyric video. Comparing the two bands with each other, the line-up has changed slightly, but what has not changed is that the band is carried by lyricist and vocalist Usagi and composer and guitarist Mime, reinforced by bassist Kakeru and drummer Toh-ya. The first single Strange Rabbit will be released in July, at the band’s first sponsored live show. The music video gives a good idea of what to expect from the visual kei band with an apparent menhera concept. — Recommended by Francisca
ハク。 (Haku.) – 僕らじゃなきゃだめになって (Bokura Ja Nakya Dame Ni Natte)
August will see the release of Haku.’s first full-length album, consisting of 10 tracks, with basically the same title as the digital single and music video below, only ‘dame’ has been written out in katakana for the album title to still make some difference. The band launched in 2019 with Osaka as their home base. The band’s focus is on bringing a refreshing sound combined with the distinctive vocals of Ai, who sings about dreams, friendship, youth, longing and more recognisable topics. In addition, the music contains influences we also see and hear in indie pop music from the United States and the United Kingdom. For the music video, the four-member band chose to share various aspects of their childhood with their fans. — 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.
