Rei Yasuda Takes Us Through The Dark in New Single

Artist Rei Yasuda announced she will be releasing a brand new single titled “through the dark”, which is set to drop May 27. “Through the dark” is being used for the fantasy anime Shironeko Project ZERO CHRONICLE as the ending theme. Shironeko Project ZERO CHRONICLE started airing on April 6. 

“through the dark” is being released in three editions total including a standard CD-only edition, a limited edition which will come with a bonus DVD, and a limited pressing edition which will come with a bonus Blu-ray. The DVD will feature the music video along with a making-of video and the Blu-ray will feature a creditless ending for Shironeko Project ZERO CHRONICLE. Preorders are posted below along with a complete track listing. Lastly, Yasuda uploaded the music video for “through the dark” on YouTube, also available below.

Standard edition

Limited edition

Limited pressing edition

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Rei Yasuda「through the dark」

Limited Edition

CD

01. through the dark

02. through the dark （Instrumental）

DVD

01. 「through the dark」Music Video

02. 「through the dark」Making Video

Standard Edition

CD

01. through the dark

02. through the dark （Instrumental）

Limited Pressing Edition

CD

01. through the dark

02. through the dark （Instrumental）

Blu-ray

・TV Anime「Shironeko Project ZERO CHRONICLE」Creditless Ending 

Tuneback Tuesday - Second Week of April

Let’s turn back the hands of time as we look back at the songs that made the Japanese music industry what it was on the Oricon Weekly Chart. This week we look back at the second week of April for both 2010 and 2015, when boy group NEWS and mega idol group SKE48 reigned supreme with “Sakura Girl” and “Coquettish Jūtai Chū”, respectively. But just what exactly made these songs so great?

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“Sakura Girl” - NEWS

“Sakura Girl” was the fourteenth single by NEWS, who in 2003 released their first single, “News Nippon”, which hit number one. NEWS has consistently released number one songs since their debut and it is easy to see why with this track in particular. “Sakura Girl” has a fun, catchy melody sung expertly the guys. It’s got a light and whimsical feel which is enjoyable for the listener. “Sakura Girl” was written by Heroism along with Hacchin 'Maya and was composed by Heroism. The track sold over 195,000 copies in its first week and would go on to hit platinum. 

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“Coquettish Jūtai Chū” - SKE48

“Coquettish Jūtai Chū” was the seventeenth single released by the ever-popular idol group SKE48. Debuting in 2008 as a spin-off to the super popular idol group AKB48, SKE48 has always had a huge fanbase and it is easy to see why with “Coquettish Jūtai Chū”. This is one fun, high energy number that really gets the listener going. You can truly hear the fun energy that the girls give off here. The song was written by Akimoto Yasushi, composition was done by Fujimi Takafumi, and was arranged by Yu Sasaki. “Coquettish Jūtai Chū” would go on to sell over half a million copies in its first week on the chart, easily taking the number spot for this week in 2015.

Aimer Brings Enjoyment to Fans By Releasing Several Music Videos!

After the successful release of their latest single “春はゆく / marie”, vocalist Aimer announced that she will be releasing full versions of several of her music videos in celebration of her official YouTube channel reaching over one million subscribers. She will be unleashing ten videos, all which are from 2014-2019, and they will be tracks from singles, mini-albums, and full albums.

Subscribe to Aimer’s official YouTube channel and check out one of the released tracks, “We Two”, below!

Released Music Videos

・We Two

・Stand By You

・茜さす

・カタオモイ

・insane dream

・ninelie

・Brave Shine

・broKen NIGHT

・誰か、海を。

・StarRingChild

URBANGARDE Aligns the Polkadots with First Authorized Biography!

Three-member Japanese rock band URBANGARDE announced that they will release their first-ever authorized biography on April 27.

Mysteriously titled Polkadot Autobiography – URBANGARDE Chronicle will cover the early years of the band’s formation by band leader/vocalist Temma Matsunaga and vocalist Yoko Hamasaki. The musicians will reveal stories behind the band’s most outrageous and controversial music videos, behind-the-scenes conflicts, and private photos from URBANGARDE’s illustrious 12-year career. The book will also feature a new biography of URBANGARDE keyboardist Kei Ohkubo and extensive notes about their connection to several of Japanese subculture and national issues, including earthquakes, nuclear power, mental health, lolita culture, and pop idols.

The autobiography will drop with two editions; a standard edition and a limited box set edition which will include a bonus booklet “Dying in Shinjuku and Other Short Stories”, a specially-designed t-shirt, tote bag, rubber keychain, and an exclusive book cover.

To celebrate the book’s release, URBANGARDE has uploaded several rare videos to their YouTube channel, including some early promotional short films, live performance clips, and dance videos.

Pre-order the standard edition for the upcoming autobiography via Amazon JP in the link below! Also check out URBANGARDE’s Official Site, Twitter, and their latest music video “言葉売り” (“KOTABAURI”) below as well.

Polkadot Autobiography – URBANGARDE Chronicle Standard edition 

Polkadot Autobiography – URBANGARDE Chronicle

THE SLUT BANKS Turn it Up to the MAX With Upcoming Album!

Four-member metal band THE SLUT BANKS announced that they will be releasing a brand new album, Rock’nRoll to the MAX ,May 13. This will be the latest album release by the band since their NOIZ THE RIPPER album back in April of last year and will be their tenth album overall. Not much is known about the album except except that it will be released with fifteen tracks total and that its lead track, “Sakura Hanabira”, will be made available on all digital streaming platforms.

Check out their latest music video “Trap” along with the pre-order link for Rock’nRoll to the MAX below!

Standard edition

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THE SLUT BANKS「Rock'n'Roll to the MAX」

01. サクラハナビラ

02. ハートを引きずって

03. 真冬青空

04. キワドイBABY

05. 剃刀

06. 美しいキッス

07. 二転三転

08. 忍耐限界

09. 2月のさよなら

10. 銃社会

11. ALIEN SHOCKER

12. ゾクゾクさせてよ

13. KANPAI

14. 悪くないぜ

15. 一服しようぜ