One Eye Closed Brings in A Squall with Latest Collaboration!

Popular “mixture rock” band One Eye Closed have released their new single, “Squall” featuring guest vocals from AJ Rebollo of ISSUES. One Eye Closed combine sounds and grooves rooted in rock, metal and pop with touches from the world of Vocaloid, hip hop and jazz to create a fresh and exciting new style that's also reminiscent of emo, nu-metal and J-rock classics.

Mixed and mastered by Яyo Trackmaker of visual kei pioneers girugamesh, “Squall” offers a new sound to their already diverse discography utilising that special essence found in Japanese rock. The track and its accompanying video are filled with imagery of a journey traversing through a snowstorm, supporting its theme of perseverance.

Speaking about the band's collaboration with ISSUES' AJ Rebollo, vocalist REI says:

"All members were fans of ISSUES before we even formed. With that shared love for ISSUES and bands-alike between us four, we started playing together. I believe that our fans can definitely feel that influence in our work. When I was writing the vocals, I was actually envisioning a part with strictly unclean vocals. I then thought, “wouldn’t it be cool if AJ Rebollo from ISSUES could do the unclean vocals here?” Long story short, since we were huge fans of AJ’s guitar work, composition skills, and amazing vocal work, we shot him a message and now the band is ecstatic and honored to have AJ be a part of this song that means a lot to us."

Driven by storytelling, honest lyrics, dynamic playing, and strong live performances, One Eye Closed is one of the driving forces in the underground J-rock scene from Tokyo. In the blink of an eye, the band has gone global. Their blinding debut EP Cain – self-released at the end of 2019 – not only saw the band gain attention from Japan's underground rock scene, but also from music fans around the world when one if its tracks became the ending theme to a video game. EP track “Low” features in 'Best of E3 2019' finalist 'No Straight Roads' on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.

One Eye Closed continued the narrative flows set out in Cain with follow up EP Abel in the late summer of 2020, showcasing further the bilingual singing talents of REI, effortlessly able to mix soaring vocal hooks with rap and r'n'b influences; the mysterious and creative guitar prowess of 'none'; the energy of funky bass groover Yasu; and the dynamic power of Kay on drums. The band released their debut physical full-length Adam & Eve on JPU Records in 2021, a compilation of songs from their Cain and Abel EPs, along with three brand new tracks.

Be sure to check out the music video for “Squall” below along with the streaming link via JPU Records here!

ayaho and Junichi Soga Joins Together in A Very Sweet Collaboration!

The TV anime Deaimon, a story of bonding through wagashi (Japanese sweets) set in an old confectionary store in Kyoto, will finally begin airing on April 6 in Japan. This past week it was announced that the ending theme of this anime, which will be performed by the special unit Deaimon (ayaho + Junichi Soga), will also be released as a single on April 20. The ending theme, “Koko ni Aru Yakusoku,” is an original song written and composed by ayaho, a 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Kyoto who gained popularity through social media, with arrangement by Junichi Soga, an up-and-coming sound creator. 

You can hear a sample of “Koko ni Aru Yakusoku” in the recently released trailer for Deaimon, so please check it out!

Check Out SKY-HI’s First Single of 2022, ‘JUST BREATHE’, A Collab with Stray Kids Production Unit 3RACHA!

“JUST BREATHE feat. 3RACHA of Stray Kids” Digital Jacket Cover

SKY-HI has released his first single of 2022, a collaboration with production unit 3RACHA. The track, “JUST BREATHE feat. 3RACHA of Stray Kids”, was released this past week across all digital streaming platforms. 3RACHA is a production unit made up of Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN; they are a sub-unit of ultra-hot Korean boyband Stray Kids.

“JUST BREATHE feat. 3RACHA of Stray Kids” is an experimental, dramatic track produced by UTA, who has worked with artists from Japan and abroad such as Daichi Miura, BTS, AI and TWICE. SKY-HI, Bang Chan, Changbin and HAN worked together to produce the lyrics and toplines.

Each drawing on their own unique style, the four artists express their “reason to exist” through the lyrics, a theme that is in sync with these difficult times. As the track progresses from one phase to the next, the technical and emotional rap lyrics in Japanese, Korean and English leave a deep and lasting impression, echoing what so many of us feel – in sometimes shocking ways.

Along with the new single, the music video for “JUST BREATHE” has also been released. For this fully-CG video, a playable game program was created to resemble a driving videogame, with the “player” controlling the movement of a buggy ridden by SKY-HI and 3RACHA as well as a motorbike ridden by SKY-HI, moving through a virtual space while synchronized with the sound frequency of the drum line. The video makes use of cutting-edge tech to fuse the chaos of the modern world with the track’s dynamic vision.

Keep an eye on SKY-HI and 3RACHA, so you don’t miss the changing of an era. Be sure to check out the music video for “JUST BREATH” below, along with the streaming link for the track here!

Millennium Parade to Perform OP and ED Themes of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Season 2, PERIMETRON to Produce Opening Video!

Season 2 of Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045, the latest entry in the classic sci-fi series, is scheduled to release worldwide on Netflix in May 2022. The opening theme, “Secret Ceremony,” and the ending theme, “No Time to Cast Anchor,” will be performed by millennium parade, the artist responsible for “Fly with me,” the opening theme of season 1 and theme song of the film Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 Sustainable War. Millennium parade’s debut single, which included “Fly with me,” topped the Oricon Weekly Single Ranking upon its release, a first in the history of the series.

It was also announced that the opening video will be produced by PERIMETRON, a creative label that includes Daiki Tsuneta and other members of millennium parade, with direction by Shu Sasaki and Yuhei Kanbe, also members of millennium parade. It is extremely rare for the same artist to produce both the theme song and the opening video, demonstrating just how unique millennium parade is.

Continuing from season 1, the soundtrack will be composed by Nobuko Toda and Kazuma Jinnouchi, who also worked with directors Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki on ULTRAMAN, with music by FlyingDog. In the season 2 trailer released this past week, you can listen to the opening theme “Secret Ceremony,” so please check it out.

Daiki Tsuneta of millennium parade commented as follows:

“Ghost in the Shell is very special to me. In one sense, it’s like a home ground for me, but at the same time, it’s a series that I’ll always admire. I’m delighted and honored to have been asked to work on season 2 of this latest entry in the classic sci-fi series. It feels like coming home!”

moeki Combines R&B and Lo-fi Beats on Fictional Movie Soundtrack Single ‘A Rainy Night in NY’

“A Rainy Night in NY” Jacket Cover

Hailing from Hokkaido, Japan, singer-songwriter moeki has released her fourth single, “A Rainy Night in NY”, on February 18. Although moeki has released tracks for four consecutive months since her debut in November 2021, this is her first to be sung in English. The song is the soundtrack to a fictional movie, and its combination of R&B and lo-fi beats shows a new side to this diverse young musician.

The music video is drawn and animated with a delicate touch by Japanese motion and graphic designer Tomoki, implementing line-drawn stick figures with a sparse use of color, leaving the impression of a movie scene.

Comment from moeki

“This song is the soundtrack to the fictional movie ‘A Rainy Night in NY’, which exists in my imagination as a film set in New York in the winter. On a cold winter night when the rain is about to turn to snow. Two people who cannot be separated, even though they should not be together. That’s the scene and the story. My songwriting and imagination were fueled by the recently released film ‘A Rainy Day in New York’, directed by Woody Allen – a film that I admire because it showcases his exquisite storytelling and his love for music. As well as the song itself, I think the music video is wonderful, so I hope you will enjoy them both.” – moeki

Be sure to check out the music video in question below, along streaming link for “A Rainy Night in NY” here!