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 released in week 8 of 2024. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new discoveries!
FUJI – bad eyes
Tokyo-based solo musician FUJI is influenced by Japanese contemporary folk music and 90s emo from the Midwest and takes care of all aspects involved in the recording of his music, as well as mastering and artwork. Aiming to update Japanese pop-rock music by infusing various subgenres into its sound, the musician has been releasing music since 2021. So far, FUJI’s social media accounts speak as follows: FUJI seems to embrace a mysterious appeal, letting the music speak for itself while the musician prefers to maintain an enigmatic presence offstage. — Recommended by Francisca
Alternoise – 君の音楽は (Kimi No Ongaku Wa)
Alternoise’s name dropped a short while ago, when the band’s guitarist and vocalist was featured in LAUTRIV’s newest music video. But it was finally time for the three-piece virtual rock band to release their own music video for their second single, 君の音楽は (Kimi No Ongaku Wa). The single was released at the same time, more than half a year after the release of the band’s first single. The virtual band is mainly active in VRChat, a platform that is often the place-to-be for interesting virtual events, especially music events. — Recommended by Francisca
ざらばんし (Zarabanshi) – 飽く迄も (Akuma Demo)
Considering I mentioned a mysterious musician earlier in this article, here’s another one for this week’s list. An enigmatic rock musician based in Kyoto with an artist photo of a person wearing an elephant mask who appears to be phoning. Behind the mask is an artist who does the writing and arranging and has not been active for very long, since the summer of 2022. Since then, several singles and even a mini-album have been released and the music has already been picked up by various streaming playlists. This is the latest single from the hand of Zarabanshi and it will be a matter of waiting to see what else is in store for this enigmatic musician. — Recommended by Francisca
Yubiori – 放射冷却 (Radiation Cooling)
In late January of this year, five-piece guitar-rock band Yubiori released a split EP, titled under a cloud, with four-piece emo rock band Acle, via Further Platonic. The band began performing in 2019, specialising in emo balladcore and operating mainly in Tokyo and Yokohama, their home base. As with many other bands, Yubiori (stylised as yubiori) began producing music by releasing demo recordings and participating in compilations. Finally in 2022, they released their very first album and it seems that this split is the follow-up. — Recommended by Francisca
kinoue64 – Say Goodbye bye bye
After a few performances in South Korea earlier this year, it seems that the Hiroshima-based shoegaze/alternative rock musician kinoue64 is craving for more. In a recent Instagram post, the musician revealed to become more serious about music and doing many more live performances (around the world). And that is no lie, as already this year several releases can be found on Bandcamp and streaming services, such as a single featuring Rikon Nozaki and an album. Several new videos can be found on YouTube, such as the most recent music video for Say Goodbye bye bye. Despite the upbeat melody in this song, the lyrics convey a wistful message, resulting in an intriguing mix of emotions. — Recommended by Francisca
ATATA – Nostophobia
First let’s get this out of the way: Nostophobia is derived from the Greek words for “nostos”, meaning return home, and “phobos”, meaning fear; a fear of returning to one’s home but also means an aversion towards the past. Now let’s focus on the rock band ATATA, they have been active for almost 15 years and for the first time in a few years, they have released a single, titled WE. From what I have understood, the musicians are working during the week and performing as a six-piece formation (including a support musician) when the weekend arrives. — Recommended by Francisca
LAIKA DAY DREAM – りんごのタルト (The Apple Tart)
The new album from three-piece indie rock band LAIKA DAY DREAM is eagerly awaited by many; it will be released in March, album titled Shun Ka Shu Tou. The band was formed in 2018 and the band name can be indeed read as “Like A Daydream” and is inspired by the song of the British rock band RIDE. The Tokyo-based band has been steadily making waves since then with their sound that goes in the direction of alternative rock and guitar pop/rock. — 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.
