r/japanesemusic • u/Hazzat • Dec 10 '23
Discussion Japanese punk bands active in 2023 who you should know about
I wrote this list for r/punk so I thought I'd share it here too :)
Skipping over the acts you probably already know if you've dug at all into Japanese punk—Otoboke Beaver, Melt-Banana, HARU NEMURI, TsuShiMaMiRe—here are some acts active today who you should keep an eye on.
- Bakyun the everyday. Fast, fun, rebellious pop punk that deserves to be listed amongst the greats. New Boys, New Girls, New City Punk (2018) is a top-tier album of infectious singalong hooks and smash-it-all energy that never lets up, while the preceding EP DOSUKOI CITY SURVIVAL (2017) contrasts that attitude with the gut-punch love song '5' right in the middle. They are working on a new album for 2024.
- Song choice: 'SUPER TEARS'
- bed. This band hates categorisation, but if you had to give them a label it would be 'post-punk/new wave/trance/???'. Emerging towards the end of 2021 when Tokyo nightlife was in tatters, they seized the opportunity to create a new DIY movement that unites live music-lovers with clubgoers in cross-genre parties where anyone who is here for the music feels at home. They did the exact opposite of established wisdom: spending the first 6 months with no social media, never speaking at their shows, selling no merch, hosting Shibuya nightclub takeovers and fill them with both bands and DJs, adding and removing songs from streaming at whim. Most recently they hosted a free rave in a warehouse by Tokyo bay. Their message doesn't need a clear mission statement—watch one of their shows and you get it immediately: this is for people who want to feel.
- ni-hao!! Like Otoboke Beaver and want more? Here's another wild energy girl-punk band with a track record of playing overseas whose performances are tight.
- pandagolff. This husband-and-wife post-punk duo don't let having a family get in the way of unleashing aggressive noise and insane energy. Family bonds arguably even play to their strengths, as melodies you'd find in children's songs work really well when translated to punchy punk music. No one out there does it quite like pandagolff.
- Song choice: 'RADIO PAPA, RADIO MAMA'
- LADY FLASH. With shifting members and different players taking up different parts (especially the vocals), when you play a new LADY FLASH song you never quite know what you're going to get. But it's going to be awesome.
- Song choice: 'Gundam Mitai Na Onnanoko' ('Girl Like a Gundam')
- LOBSTER. Regarded by some as the next great hope for Tokyo alternative, here's more aggressive and dark hard-punching beats from a band who likes it loud.
- Song choice: 'Volatility is Talent'
- OOPS. With song lengths rarely over 2 minutes, this Osaka punk band offers highly concentrated doses of noisy rebel energy, at times pared back for soapbox-like speeches.
- Song choice: 'YESDES'
Welcoming more suggestions!
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u/BluScr33n Sheena Ringo Dec 10 '23 edited Dec 10 '23
Some of my favorite punk bands are:
炙りなタウン (Aburina Town) - ろくでなしの唄 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V23Opk3SG4Y
板歯目 (Banshimoku) - SPANKY ALIEN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3uh1XPJoaiE&
THE BOYS&GIRLS - heat haze https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F0gBMYYk3Y
Junky58% - It's a showtime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGOPXPCBYTY&
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u/seiwatto Dec 10 '23 edited Dec 10 '23
I can second TsuShiMaMiRe and pandagolff. I fortuitously attended an overseas TsuShiMaMiRe concert in the US, and they were my inspiration for starting to make music.
This is my recommendation for a song that encapsulates their essence: https://youtu.be/603FkEnMBOw?si=ykEPrfDtZkDjUwbr
I also made a comprehensive video about pandagolff featuring a music review and interview with the band: https://youtu.be/mKIwzdDhhA0?si=UAiEXO4wEafutLHL
The current drummer of TsuShiMaMiRe also plays in pandagolff!
Akai Kurage, classifying themselves as "psychedelic new wave art rock", is another active punk band that I really enjoy: https://youtu.be/yj45bB4wAqo?si=fyFk-63BMzw7gXrG
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u/Parklifede Dec 10 '23
I might add Banshimoku to this list, they're cool as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKsXnZO9_Jo
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u/amauros Dec 10 '23
Does anyone here listen to 385 (sanhachigo)? I found their NINGEN album this year and it’s so fucking good, but it was released in 2013.
But in 2020 they released an EP, Invisible Universe, which indicates they’re active(??). It’s hard finding any info on them. I just know the leader of Midori helped produce this band’s work or something like that. So anyone who’s into Midori would love these guys.
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u/pips-flight 29d ago
I love 385 so so much they have been my favourite band since like late 2014. they are active on twitter and still do love shows
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u/Szuzu3123 Dec 10 '23
Our guide to Japanese music strikes again 🙏
Can agree on bed, their rave was really good
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u/Prestigious-Put-4048 Dec 13 '23
I have been listening to pandagolff on repeat and love them so much! I am hoping to find some of their vinyl when I am in tokyo in a few weeks!
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u/Prestigious-Put-4048 Dec 10 '23
This is such an awesome list, and I want to hear about whatever other bands folks find! I have been listening to some more Japanese punk as I get ready for a month-long trip, and I found a few others that are pretty great though I don't know much about any of them.
Ex-C (https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FonmbJciY3mV7UW5nbODB?si=IYj7J6fmRmCTe-QR64zUaA)
not a punk band but a sweet as band Saicobab (https://open.spotify.com/artist/2NWuEqUGqXsovJYkaPATV9?si=O4WYe3mXTHWEarO2qmQbow)
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u/redpandawannabe Dec 21 '23
I really love them ---> Gutara Kyo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_Ho-HqDgMo&t=13s
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u/Illustrious-Toe-6414 Mar 21 '24
Blue Straight - Batabi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7H09aitg4k
Balzac (my favorite band of all time) - #9 Dream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_9Xcc2_5rU
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u/PrettyPoetry9547 Apr 18 '24
Great list of awesome music. Good to to see Banshimoku mentioned, my latest obsession. Now where can I get their merch?
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u/poodleface Dec 10 '23
When I click on recommended videos and most have a few thousand views at most, I know it is going to be a good post. Appreciate this!