SHINee Returns to Japanese Market With Upcoming Mini-Album!

Popular Korean boy group SHINee announced that they will be releasing a brand new mini-album July 28. Currently untitled at the time of reporting, this will be the latest release by the group in the Japanese market since their single “Sunny Side” back in August 2018. The mini-album is set to contain five songs total and will come with a whopping seven edition including: a CD-only standard edition, two limited editions simply called Type A and Type B, and three member-focused CD-only special editions. Type A will include a bonus photo book while Type B will include a bonus DVD. The special editions will be packed with a postcard of the featured member and also include special size packing which would make the editions a must-have for fans.

As we look forward to the upcoming release be sure to check out a preview of the Japanese music video for “Sunny Side” along with the pre-order links for the mini-album below!

Standard edition

Limited edition Type A

Limited edition Type B

Special KEY edition

Special TAEMIN edition

Special MINHO edition

Special ONEW edition

Daichi Yamamoto Sends A Statement With Latest Digital Release!

“Kill Me” digital jacket cover

“Kill Me” digital jacket cover

Vocalist Daichi Yamamoto announced that he will be releasing a brand new track, “Kill Me”, across all music streaming platforms. This will be the latest release by the vocalist since his digital single “Paradise feat. mabanua” back in November of last year and it is his first release of 2021. “Kill Me" is set to be the leading single from Yamamoto’s new album WHITE CUBE. With cooperation of American label Frank Renaissance, Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins, who is also known for his collaborations with bands Disclosure and Badbadnotgood, is participating as a guest vocalist. Also joining is track master QUNIMUNE, who has worked with Yamamoto on previous tracks "Let it Be feat. Kid Fresino" and “Blueberry”; he will take charge of production.

Be sure to check out “Kill Me” on all digital streaming platforms here!

toku Blooms on His Own With Upcoming Solo Album!

toku of the duo GARNiDELiA announced that he will be releasing his first solo album, bouquet, June 16. After the 10th anniversary of the formation of GARNiDELiA last year, the duo MARiA and toku started their respective solo activities. Following MARiA's solo album うたものがたり (Utamonogatari) , scheduled for release May 26, bouquet includes the talent of Sayaka Kanda, Kaori Ishihara, Megumi Nakajima, Konomi Suzuki, atsuko (angela), Yuka Iguchi, Ayana Taketatsu, Yanaginagi, Mimori Suzuko, and Suga Shikao, who are participating as featured vocalists, with toku handling the composition or arrangement. Suga Shikao also wrote the lyrics for the song "Sprout", in which Yo Hitoto participated.

The album will drop with two editions: a CD-only standard edition and a limited edition which will come with a bonus Blu-ray. Not much information about the Blu-ray has been made available at the time of reporting except that it will feature several music videos.

As we look forward to the upcoming release be sure to pre-order bouquet below!

Standard edition 

Limited edition


toku「bouquet」

01.「ずるいよ、桜」feat. 神田沙也加[作詞:神田沙也加 / 作曲・編曲:toku]

02. 「或るヒマワリ」feat. 石原夏織[作詞:渡辺翔 / 作曲・編曲:toku]

03. 「Acacia」feat. 中島愛[作詞:LINDEN / 作曲・編曲:toku]

04. 「青い薔薇」feat. 鈴木このみ[作詞:LINDEN / 作曲・編曲:toku]

05. 「Radiata」feat. atsuko from angela[作詞:atsuko / 作曲・編曲:toku]

06. 「Lilium」feat. 井口裕香[作詞:渡辺翔 / 作曲・編曲:toku]

07. 「Antheia」feat. 竹達彩奈[作詞:LINDEN / 作曲・編曲:toku]

08. 「Coreopsis」feat. やなぎなぎ[作詞:やなぎなぎ / 作曲・編曲:toku]

09. 「君影草」feat. 三森すずこ[作詞:LINDEN / 作曲・編曲:toku]

10. 「萌芽」feat. 一青窈[作詞:スガシカオ / 作曲・編曲:toku]

Hit Anime ‘How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω’ Opening/Ending Theme Tunes ‘EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!’ and ‘YOU YOU YOU’ get Four-Week Series of New Remixes!

“EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” and “YOU YOU YOU”, the opening and ending theme tunes to the global hit anime How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω, will get a series of new remixes starting from today across all digital music streaming platforms. New versions of both songs will be released each week for four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight new remixes. In addition, teaser videos for the first pair of remixes was also released today.

How Not to Summon a Demon Lord Ω is an anime series based on the popular light novel series written by Yukiya Murasaki and illustrated by Takahiro Tsurusaki, published by Kodansha Ranobe Bunko. The show is currently in its second season, following the original season in 2018. The story follows Takuma Sakamoto, who has been mysteriously summoned into the world of his favorite video game, where he must play the role of the powerful Demon Lord Diablo. The show has been a huge hit with anime fans, depicting an enticing fantasy world of adventure, dreams and magic.

The opening and ending theme tunes to this hot show are performed by Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU. As a voice actor and idol, Serizawa (known by her nickname Seriko) also voices one of the lead characters, Shera, while DJ KOO is the energetic leader of the classic pop group TRF, and a household name in Japan. MOTSU, meanwhile, is a legendary rapper who performed on every opening theme tune for the hit series Initial D, along with many other anime songs.

The theme songs sung by this trio are available on multiple music services, and they have topped the charts on major streaming sites in Japan such as Rakuten Music and Mora. On the popular anime music site animelo mix, “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” took the No.1 spot on the daily singles chart and has become a hot topic, along with the anime series itself.

“EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY!” is a super-fun party anthem that has taken social media by storm, with comments such as “This will get the Demon King on the run!” and “It’s transported me to the 1990s”. Meanwhile, “YOU YOU YOU” boasts anisong dance music vibes, while Serizawa gives a soul-meltingly cute vocal performance as she sings a sweet and sour love song. Music videos on YouTube for both tracks have received comments from around the world, and the positive power of both tunes is energizing fans across borders.

Remixes of each of these two massive anisong hits will be released on streaming and download services from today over a period of four consecutive weeks, for a total of eight remixes. The first two songs in this series are “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! (Aniclub EDIT)” and “YOU YOU YOU (Aniclub EDIT)”.

MOTSU, who wrote the music and lyrics and also handled these remixes, plays a key role in the new “anisong club” music culture (also known as “aniclub”) that is spreading around the world. He is also the organizer of Anime Rave Festival, the largest event in this genre. In addition, DJ KOO and MOTSU are also members of the OMOTENASHI BEATS project, which aims to introduce the J-pop and anisong genres to a global audience.

As an exciting combination of DJ culture and anime songs, this remix series is a uniquely MOTSU project, and conveys his strong desire to showcase the charms of anime songs to music fans around the globe.

We hope you will enjoy the music of Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU, which has the power to transcend national borders and give energy to the world.

Yu Serizawa comment

“Yu Serizawa with DJ KOO & MOTSU!!!! We make the strongest team ever! From recording to filming, my two avex mentors created an atmosphere of fun from beginning to end, and it made me so HAPPY! These two uplifting songs have the power to make the world spin, and us too!!!! Let’s all have fun together in 2021!”

MOTSU comment

“I am so super excited about this project. When we talked about doing a remix after the two songs were done, I thought it would be fun to make many different versions of the remix tracks all by myself. So I played with changing the major key to a minor key, cut the tempo in half, and so on super freely – and since we were the ones who were being remixed, there was no one to object, no matter how it was done. It’s a dream job, right?

“Including the two short Aniclub edits (which are club-style anime songs), there were eight tracks, and it took a very long time to finish them all. Seriko and KOO have such great voices – I was so jealous of them when I was working on it. KOO’s vocal cords are very young, especially compared to my vocal cords, which are damaged by years of drinking and smoking. I hope you will enjoy the different types of ‘pump up’ energy in each song, each of which is different from the original version.”

Be sure to check out both music videos for both tracks below, along with the streaming link for both “EVERYBODY! EVERYBODY! (Aniclub EDIT)” and “YOU YOU YOU (Aniclub EDIT)” here!

w.o.d Teams Up with He's Trying Records to Bring Hit Album Internationally!

1994 Jacket Cover

1994 Jacket Cover

The illustrious three-piece punk band w.o.d. are gearing up for a western release of their critically acclaimed LP 1994 on vinyl. 1994 is now available for purchase through He’s Trying Records. This release marks the band’s first physical record that will be available to a western audience. 

1994 is the band's sophomore release, featuring fan favorites such as “Mayday”, and the title track “1994”. The album was named after the year each band member was born while drawing from the loud grunge that defined the era. With lyrical themes ranging from societal frustration to feelings of anxiety, w.o.d. capture the existential chaos we experience everyday. While rooted in punk, 1994 is like a powder keg going off. The palpable energy of 1994 is infectious and undeniable. 

About He’s Trying Records: He’s Trying Records is a record label based in San Marcos, CA. Founded in 2020, He’s Trying Records aims to bring a variety of Japanese artists to the west through vinyl record releases. 

Be sure to check out the music video for the track “Mayday” along with the order links for the vinyl below!

Standard edition