Indie Corner Week 13: flue

flue is a three-member pop rock band that formed in 2014. What makes them stand out from other bands is the specific genre they classify their music as, which is “short pop-rock-tune”. All of their songs are about a min or two long, but their goal is to emotionally impact their listeners in some way through such short tracks. Their song “Secret ne Sararetto” is a great example of this method, as it gives off that “short but sweet” first impression that can hook listeners to the band, which in turn keeps the listener wanting more.

flue originally had a male bassist up until last year when he was replaced with a female bassist nicknamed Martin Kameyama. flue has one single ep, ”仕組まれたシクマンって言いたくなるよね” (“Shikumareta Sick man tte Iitakunaruyone”), and one album, No. 13, both featuring the male bassist. The new bassist can be heard on their recent mini-album flue, released this past April.

Check out flue’s official website here, and Twitter 

flue stars Panashizushi (Gutiar/Vocals)

Haruhi Flue (Drums/Vocals) 

Martin Kameyama (Bass/ Vocals) 

Check out their song “Secret ne Sararetto” below!

Indie Corner Week 12: stella

stella is a four-member city-pop girl band established in 2014. Utilizing a theme of “songs that grab a hold of people’s feelings”, stella creates a rhythm that entices the listener to dance and continue listening to the beat. With certain tracks their sound could be viewed as somewhat reminiscent of that of the early 90s idol scene--even though the girls of stella are not idols. A couple of prime examples of this nostalgia are their songs “シンデレラティック” (“Cinderella Tick”) and “tonight”.

Currently, stella’s two singles “Cinderella Tick” and “E.O Trick” are available on Apple Music, the former having appeared on TV TOKYO’s program EntaX this January.

Check out their official site here and their official Twitter 

stella stars Nozaki Nao(Bass)

Mizusawa Megumi (Drums)

 Rena Kuwayama (Vocals/ Keyboard)

Yuka Tanizaki (Guitar) 

Check out their song “Cinderella Tick” below!

Indie Corner Week 11: Aoharumaki

Aoharumaki is a four-member pop rock band that formed in 2015. One could say that their strongest point is the catchy melody that keyboardist Andrew sets up with their own special version of “Kira Kira” sound.  Their song “りんご飴” (“Ringo Ame”) is a prime as example of this, as right from the get-go Andrew’s keyboarding can so easily entice one to keep listening.

Currently Aoharumaki has three singles total, with a hundred yen exclusive single for Tower Records. They will release a mini-album, クロヒョウ脱走事件 (Black Leopard Dassou Jiken), this coming July 25 which you can preorder here.

Check out their official site here, and their official Twitter here .

Aoharumaki stars Hanabusa (Bass)

Akiyamasaru (Vocals& Gutair)

Akira (Drums)

Andrew (Keyboard) 

Check out their song “Ringo Ame” below! 

Indie Corner Week 10: TENDRE

TENDRE is singer’s Taro Kawahara’s solo project started in 2017. This project is a major departure from Taro’s usual style of music that he creates with his band ampel, as he takes on an R&B style in this venture. He has a mesmerizing voice that eases the listener into drifting away to the music. His songs “hanashi” and “RIDE” show great examples of this.

He released his first EP, “Red Focus”, on December 6th of last year. However, he has a more extensive discography from his previous work with ampel.

You can check out his official site here , and official Twitter.

Check out the music video for his song “hanashi” below! 

Indie Corner Week 9: Necry Talkie

Necry Talkie are a five member pop rock band formed in 2017. One of the first things noticed about this band is their vocalist Mossa's unique voice. In a lot of their songs, the other members match that same energy and uniqueness that Mossa gives off; their song "オシャレ大作戦" ("Oshyare Taisakusen") shows a great example of this energy.

Currently Necry Talkie has three demo singles: two released back in 2017 and one this year. During the release of their third single they also performed their first one-man live.

You can check out their official site, and Twitter.

Necry Talkie stars Takei (Drums)

Ahisa (Guitar)

Mossa (Guitar& Vocals)

Fujita (Bass)

Check out their song "Oshare Taisakusen" below!