A Fresh Start
Music of Japan #1
Ready to discover great Japanese music? 🎶🗻
Hey! I’m Josh - I live in London, UK and love all sorts of Japanese music.
My goal is to introduce you to new artists for Japan that you otherwise may not have discovered. In each edition of this newsletter, I will show you 5 songs by Japanese artists across multiple genres that have been on my radar. With each song, you’ll get an introduction to the artist, some thoughts on the song and further links to discover more from that artist. 一緒に素晴らしい音楽を発見しましょう! (Let’s discover great music together!)
“lemonade” by Chilli Beans.
🎶 indie rock, pop rock, neo-garage rock style 📍tokyo 🗓️ released on 13th july 2022
This vibrant three-piece girl band, consisting of Moto on Vocals, Maika on Bass & Vocals and Lily on Guitar & Vocals, have been producing catchy pop rock melodies for 4 years now.
Formed in 2019 whilst studying together at Tokyo’s prestigious 音楽塾ヴォイス (Voice Music School) and influenced heavily by western pop, Chilli Beans announced themselves on the scene with their debut EP “dancing alone” before releasing their self-titled debut album in 2022, with “lemonade” being 1st track on the former and the 2nd track on the latter.
This track is uplifting and full of energy, defined by the Moto’s earnest vocals, a sun-kissed bass line from Maika and Lily’s garage rock guitar tones. The lyrics themselves centre around a dilemma with a problematic romantic interest - whilst irresistibly attractive, they should be avoided if one doesn’t want to have their feelings hurt.
Check out Chilli Beans’ website here, discover their new single “you and me” here or watch an acoustic version of “lemonade” here.
A stylish, fun and super talented girl group on the up.
“Omotesando” by ANORAK!
🎶 math rock, emo, punk📍tokyo 🗓️ released on 16th november 2022
ANORAK are an emo-fuelled math rock four-piece fresh out of Tokyo under the label SUPERNICEBOYS (this may be their own label, I’m not 100% sure) and released their self-titled debut album just last November.
The album pays homage to their native Tokyo throughout, with every track name adopting the name of a particular district (Shibuya, Shinjuku, Asakusa). 表参道(Omotesando), the namesake of this song, is one of the most pleasant and expensive areas in the city.
This attitude filled track encapsulates descriptive lyrics reflecting on the longing to go back to special time and placed within a sea of heavy, melodic guitar melodies.
Certainly expect to hear much more about these guys in the future! Check out their website here, their Instagram here and a music video for their song “吉祥寺” (Kichijoji) here.
Heavy, melodic emo bliss.
“Drive My Car” by Eiko Ishibashi
🎶 soundtrack, jazz📍chiba 🗓️ released on 18th august 2021
Drive My Car is a 2021 drama film directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and based on Haruki Murakami’s short story of the same name alongside other stories from his 2014 collection, “Men Without Women”. The film won three awards at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, received four nominations at the 94th Academy Awards and received immense widespread critical accolade.
Hidden in these accolades is the magnificent soundtrack, composed by Eiko Ishibashi, a remarkably versatile multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer hailing from Morbara, Chiba.
The stand-out track for me is the opening title piece, which combines a heartbreaking string arrangement with crisp piano and even some a Marimba later on. All of this is propelled by a racing Jazz-inspired drum beat. Give this a few listens, indeed along with the rest of the soundtrack album and you may find that not only does this music serve as a beautiful backdrop to the driving scenes across Tokyo, Hiroshima and parts of Hokkaido in the film but perhaps also for your own daily life.
Read more about Eiko on her website here and follow her pretty cool Instagram page here.
Calming cinematic Jazz with outstanding musical arrangements.
“Eyes” by No Buses
🎶 alternative rock, emo (circa early 2000s) 🗓️ released on 4th march 2023
No Buses are a 5-piece that formed in 2016 (I can’t find any source of whereabouts in Japan they are from - let me know if you find out!). Since 2019, they have released 3 albums (Boys Loved Her, No Buses & Sweet Home), an EP (Boring Thing) and 10 singles. Initially leading with strong Indie Rock sounds, the band have gravitated towards a more grungey, early 2000’s alternative rock sound across their recent releases.
Their new single is “Eyes”, a pensive emo soft rock song. Whilst the lyrics are emotional and heavy, documenting a search for meaning and belonging in a meaningless life, they are backed by beautiful guitar riffing that gives the song its nostalgic vibe.
The band has got a really funky website and are on Instagram as well.
Solid band. Tight guitar riffs. Beautiful melody.
“Canvas” by Kaneee ft. STUTS
🎶 hip-hop 📍Tokyo + nagoya (stuts) 🗓️ released 28 may 2023 ・
This young bilingual rapper recently blew the roof off the POP YOURS 2023 festival in Chiba with a fantastic performance of his debut single “Canvas” which he promptly released across digital platforms on the same day. He is backed with a smooth beat laid down by the increasingly popular producer STUTS (here’s a fantastic set he did for Uniqlo a few years ago).
The lyrics, a blend of English & Japanese delivered in uplifting rhythm by Kaneee, appear to focus on Kaneee putting the emotional distress of his past behind him and looking ahead to achieve his dreams (looks like he’s on the right path). The lines that he drops are so catchy against the intricate backing music from STUTS.
With only this single under his belt on digital platforms, I’m sure there’s plenty more to come from Kaneee. Check out his Instagram here for updates.
Thank you for reading! I hope you discovered some music you may have liked in this edition. If you have any thoughts on how I can improve this newsletter and your experience with it, please send me an email at themusicofjapan@gmail.com.
Welcome to Substack.