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 41 of 2024. We sincerely hope you enjoy the new discoveries!
muui – シーグラス (sea glass)
Over the past five years, muui, a project based in Nagoya, has evolved through various musical transformations. What began as a full-fledged band evolved through various stages into a trio, then a duo, and finally into Tsujioka’s solo project. The singer-songwriter wrote in a blog post about the song sea glass that the lyrics come from a poem written by a friend of hers after hearing muui’s music who said that it was like water-coloured sea glass. The song can be found on muui’s second single, titled 水際 (Mizugiwa), released in the middle of August just before the summer ends, which features only songs accompanied by mainly acoustic guitar. — Recommended by Francisca
Hello1103 – Billion Balances
In November, the duo Hello1103 will release their second full-length album, titled Billion Balances. The sound and image unit combines organic digital sounds with visual expressions that manifest the subconscious to create an otherworldly atmosphere, spanning music genres like electronica, ambient, and noise with a focus on futuristic music technologies, including VR concerts and 3D sound experiences. Interesting to note is that they also serve as the VJ and manipulator for world’s end girlfriend, supporting the musicality both visually and sonically. — Recommended by Francisca
INDIVIDUAL ELEVENS – PERFECT THRUST
Former vocalist of rock band LOKA, Kihiro, has a brand new music project called INDIVIDUAL ELEVENS. The name is very reminiscent of his previous short-lived project, +ELEVEN, which he started a few years ago. Yet Kihiro has been anything but inactive in recent years; he continued to produce music, perform as a solo musician and actively maintained contact with his international fans after LOKA broke up at the end of 2019. This week saw the release of the debut single from the nu metal project INDIVIDUAL ELEVENS, the instrumental version of which was used for an event by TAIMAN+. It has also been announced that his former bandmates, guitarist SIN (ex-LOKA) and drummer Sujk (ex-UNDIVIDE), will join him on stage again in 2025. — Recommended by Francisca
TheCanbellz – Wrong World
Behind punk rock band TheCanbellz is singer-songwriter Shinki Kanbe who, with support musicians, produces deep and passionate rock music with themes that reflect, among other things, his life story of survival filled with struggles and setbacks and the search for love. Wrong World delves into the harsh realities of a world full of inequality, hunger and greed and suggests that kindness and sharing can restore love and balance to a broken world. It is clearly a song that invites you to reflect. Last spring, the band was in the Philippines for the first time and it was so successful that the band returned in September and visited several schools for performances. It seems Shinki Kanbe is on a mission to tick off even more countries. — Recommended by Francisca
cherie – 拡散シテ (Spread It Out)
The four-member rock band cherie, led by vocalist and guitarist Rin Ozaki, was formed in 2021 with Nagoya as their hometown. Ozaki composes all the songs and writes the lyrics, which reflect the sincere and life-size sentiments of his generation combined with catchy melodies. After their first successful digital releases, the quartet released their first EP last summer, titled 誰よりも幸せになれ、報われろアタシ (Compensate Me With Love). This week they released the follow-up, a new digital single. Needless to say, we have to wait and see what the next steps will be for these young musicians, but they have already managed to make a good impression. — Recommended by Francisca
halogen – Masterpiece
This week saw the digital single from the four-member rock band halogen, currently active in Tokyo but originally from Miyagi prefecture. The inspiration for the song came from a strong desire to escape from daily pressures and constraints. At the moment, the band members are now university students and have had a tough period due to exams, this was not an easy period for them without the opportunity to perform as a band. The desire was to protect and share simple but valuable forms of happiness, these emotions were turned into the song Masterpiece. — Recommended by Francisca
SpecialThanks – 地球防衛軍 (Earth Defence Force)
On 23 October, SpecialThanks will release their new album PUNK RECORDS, the first full-length album in almost four years since the release of the fourth album Sunctuary in 2020. The punk rock band has gone through several line-up changes over the years but still were going strong, and in 2023, SpecialThanks became a duo, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Misaki and drummer Takaaki. Since then, they have released several singles and an EP, and the forthcoming album is surely the icing on the cake. Next year, the band will celebrate their 20th anniversary, with Misaki, with her signature honey-like voice, remaining the only constant factor over the years. — 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.
