Music Corner Week 20: yonige
/Two-member Osaka-based rock duo Yonige got their start back in 2014, stating that they will change the landscape of Japanese girl rock bands with only two members. A daunting statement for sure, but they don’t break the wheel on the industry, so to speak. They keep it grounded by having an explosive sound and amazing vocals that show off the mastery in their craft. While being supported by several members on drums, vocalist-guitarist Arisa Ushimaru and bassist Gokkin hone their craft and could even rival full four-member rock bands that have a similar feel.
Several of Yonige’s tracks can be compared to a snake, you could say; they start up slow and feature Ushimaru’s dulcet yet calming vocals which attract listeners—then they strike by wrapping them in with Ushimaru and Gokkin’s amazing melody and composition which make listeners want to listen to them over and over. Their song “さよならプリズナー” (“Sayonara Prisoner”), “our time city”, and “さよならアイデンティティー” (“Sayonara Identity”) show off just how explosive they can be. Yonige also covers its bases by including several slower style songs such as “どうでもよくなる” (“Dou demo Yokunaru”) and “Revolver”. Their latest track “往生際” (“Ojogiwa”) is the latest evolution of this style ,which features Gakkin’s bass skills at the forefront.
Currently Yonige has released two demos, “女の子の逆襲” (“Onna no Ko no Gyakushu”) and “恋と嘘と帰り道” (“Koi to Uso to Kaerimichi”) back in 2014; three mini-albums, Coming Spring (2015), かたつむりになりたい (Katatsumuri ni Naritai) (2016), and Neyagawa City Pop (2017); and two albums, girls like girls (2017) and HOUSE (2018).
Check out Yonige’s official website here and official Twitter here, along with the music video for their track “Ojogiwa” below! There is a small drama attached to the beginning of the video so the actual start of the song is four minutes in.
