Chilli Beans. Release their Sophomore Album and Welcome Fans to their Castle!

Welcome To My Castle jacket cover

Chilli Beans. has released their second full-length album titled 'Welcome To My Castle'. The 3-piece band from Japan consists of Moto (Vocals), Maika (Bass & Vocals), and Lily (Guitar & Vocals).

‘Welcome To My Castle’ is a captivating musical journey that explores the boundaries of imagination and creativity. With each track, the band transports listeners to different worlds, evoking a sense of wonder and adventure. Through their unique blend of catchy pop tunes and garage rock, the band creates a sonic landscape that is both ethereal and dynamic. 

"This is a concept album inviting everyone to Chilli Beans.'s castle! We would be delighted if you could enjoy the various worlds we have created through the music, from beginning to end." – Chilli Beans. Check out the music video for the track ‘Welcome’ below!

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Formed in 2019, Chilli Beans. has crafted a signature sound that has won over the hearts of millions of fans around the world. Since the band’s formation, they have consistently garnered strong support from industry tastemakers as well as the media.

In 2021, their release “lemonade” climbed to #1 on Spotify’s Viral Top 50 Chart in Japan, and in January of 2023, "rose feat. Vaundy" topped Billboard Japan’s "Heatseekers Songs" twice. “Raise”, which was released earlier this year was selected as the ending theme song for the TV anime series ‘ONE PIECE’, which the music video is located below!

Known for their exceptional songwriting and harmonious vocals, they continue to impress with engaging live performances. This summer, they played at the beloved Fuji Rock Festival and in August  2023, they opened for Two Door Cinema Club in Taipei, expanding their musical impact to a global audience. Building on this momentum, the band's highly anticipated first Budokan show in February 2024 is already sold out, marking an important milestone in their career. The iconic venue holds deep significance for Japan, initially constructed for the inaugural Olympic judo competition but has subsequently expanded to host musical performances. Some notable names that have performed there include The Beatles, Blur, Duran Duran, Kiss, Morrissey, Ozzy Osbourne, Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Journey, Deep Purple and Pink Floyd. Blackpink too made their debut Japan showcase at this renowned stage. The venue has played a vital part in the Japanese music scene, especially for rock/alternative music fans.

‘Welcome To My Castle’ is the perfect sonic embodiment of Chilli Beans. and this release solidifies their standing as one of the most exciting Asian artists to keep an eye on. Echoing the band's album, the title track "Welcome" also encapsulates the mantra of the album by welcoming listeners to a place where only fun exists, urging them to enjoy the moment and go with the flow. The song features an upbeat and head-bobbing sound that showcases each member's instruments. Merging their vocals with plenty of bass and incorporating the quintessential synth sound of 70s~80s Soul/Disco Funk, it seamlessly complements the guitar riffs, capturing the song's energy and delivering an infectious musical experience for listeners.

Be sure to check out the streaming link for ‘Welcome To My Castle’ here!

Witness FEMM’s final show at “HIMM & FEMM” on Christmas Eve in Tokyo!

Mannequin duo FEMM will be performing their final show with the collaboration with  fancyHIM on Christmas Eve in Tokyo, Shibuya.

fancyHIM continues to provide fashionable and exciting nights that transcends gender, they can clearly be titled as “Tokyo's cutting edge.” FEMM has a long history with them, since fancyHIM were the ones who first discovered FEMM back in 2015, and kept on collaborating. It is truly a “home ground” for FEMM.

This event will feature a number of guest artists who have a close relation with FEMM, such as singer-songwriter Yup'in who worked with FEMM in the group “FAMM'IN," and Micro Mica who co-starred in their Europe tour "FEMM-Isation UK/EU tour 2022,” and “KANNAGI,” who are a vogueing dance duo. As for DJs, UNA + MATCHA, who are famous for spinning at high fashion events and are close performing buddies with FEMM for years. PELI, the designer of ``PAMEO POSE,’’ and UNO FUMI, DJ and fashion press for ``PAMEO POSE.’’ “Wabisabi,” who captivates with music and costumes of various genres. Artists based in “FancyHIM,” are "fancyBOYS", "NAOPIS + TARO" who are also a model and product designer, "CLOUDOM" who is active as a DJ and beauty Youtuber, BCG, who consist of Gwns who actively works to protect the cuteness of orangutans, and ERI KAWAKAMI, a painter. ``SHINTAKA'' from Osaka is also performing.

The last performance outside of Japan will be “Last FEMM-Isation” in London, which will be held on December 16th. This will be an emotional show and will be a must see for sure. They will have special merchandise for the day as well.

Be sure to check out more information about their final Tokyo performance here, along with their music video for ‘We Got Each Other’ below!

"HIMM & FEMM"

Date: December 24, 2023

Venue: BAIA Shibuya

See-Saw Returns with First Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Song in 19 Years! “Sarigiwa no Romantics” Chosen as Ending Theme Song for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom

It has been announced that the ending theme for Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, which will be released in theaters in Japan on January 26, 2024, will be See-Saw’s “Sarigiwa no Romantics.” See-Saw is a unit consisting of Chiaki Ishikawa on vocals and Yuki Kajiura on the keyboard

See-Saw was responsible for two previous theme songs in the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series: “Anna ni Issho Datta no ni” from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED (2002) and “Kimi wa Boku ni Niteiru” from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY (2004). This marks their third project in the series, with approximately 19 years having passed since their last involvement.

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom is set in the C.E. (Cosmic Era) and continues the narrative from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, depicting the ongoing conflict between original “Natural” humans and the genetically modified “Coordinators.” This latest installment features a completely new story that takes place in C.E. 75 following the events of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY.

Furthermore, it has been confirmed that “Sarigiwa no Romantics” will be released as a single on January 24, 2024. This single will also include a recording of the surprise performance of “Anna ni Issho Datta no ni” at InuFes 2019, the 10th-anniversary celebration of FlyingDog.

In commemoration of this, the live video of “Anna ni Issho Datta no ni” performed at InuFes will be available for a limited time starting today, located below!

Vicke Blanka Announces First-Ever North American Tour with 10 Dates!

Highly acclaimed artist Vicke Blanka has announced his first-ever headline tour of North America, simply titled ‘Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024.’  The tour will include a total of 10 shows, launching in Vancouver on January 31st and closing in New York on February 20th.

This year, Vicke Blanka has performed at a number of overseas events, drawing a peak attendance of over 5,000 fans per show.  In May, he played at Jeddah Events Calendar 2023  Anime Village at City Walk in Saudi Arabia, in July he performed at Riminicomix in Italy and at Japan Expo 22nd Impact 2023 in France (as Music Guest of Honor), before returning to Saudi Arabia again in August for Gamers8 Cosplay Cup Supported by WCS.  In December, he will perform at Magnificon Expo 2023 in Poland, and at Manga Barcelona 2023 in Spain.

In addition, his opening theme tunes for the anime series ‘Black Clover’ continue to be ongoing hits: His Season 3 opening theme song “Black Rover” has now been played over 170M times, while his Season 10 opening theme song “Black Catcher” has surpassed 200M plays, ranking in Spotify’s Top 10 chart of songs by Japanese artists played by overseas users for the third consecutive year since 2020.

As Vicke Blanka continues his meteoric rise around the world, it will be exciting to see what kind of performance he brings when he hits stages across North America for the first time.

Tickets are on sale now and located below!

★ Tour information 

Vicke Blanka North American Tour 2024

• Jan 31 (Wed): Vancouver - VOGUE THEATRE (ticket)

• Feb 2 (Fri): Denver - GOTHIC THEATRE (ticket)

• Feb 5 (Mon): San Francisco - GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL (ticket)

• Feb 6 (Tue): Los Angeles - THE BELASCO (ticket)

• Feb 8 (Thu): Dallas - STUDIO AT THE FACTORY (ticket)

• Feb 9 (Fri): Houston – SCOUT BAR (ticket)

• Feb 13 (Tue): Chicago - PARK WEST (ticket)

• Feb 15 (Thu): Toronto – ANNABEL’S (ticket)

• Feb 18 (Sun): Montreal - RIALTO THEATRE (ticket)

• Feb 20 (Tue): New York City - PALLADIUM TIMES SQUARE (ticket)

Atsushi Sakurai’s legendary project THE MORTAL’s album ‘I AM MORTAL’ gets first ever vinyl release, with cutting-edge pressing techniques led by Japan’s top mastering/pressing engineer Toru Kotetsu!

I AM MORTAL Jacket Cover

Five-member rock band THE MORTAL which was formed in 2005 by BUCK-TICK member Atsushi Sakurai. The lineup featured Sakurai (vocals), Jake Cloudchair (guitar), Yukio Murata (guitar), Ken Miyo (bass) and Takahiko Akiyama (drums). Together with his band members, Sakurai created a unique lyrical style that deeply examined topics such as life and death, the essence of humanity, the malice and hatred nested in the depths of the heart, the passion and reason that sway with the breeze, society and organizations, the friction and alienation rampant in the outside world, self-love and self-discipline, and a dark and gloomy spiritual world.

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Now, THE MORTAL’s first album ‘I AM MORTAL’ – which was originally released on November 11, 2015 – will be made available on vinyl for the very first time, set for release on March 7, 2024.

This special vinyl edition was remastered and pressed by Toru Kotetsu, a leader in Japan’s vinyl production industry, to create a release that will allow listeners to experience the highest possible sound quality while preserving the atmosphere of the original release. This is your chance to experience the true essence of Sakurai’s decadent, Gothic, dramatic, beautiful and original world.

In addition, a vinyl version of Sakurai’s only solo album ‘Ai no Wakusei’ – originally released on June 23, 2004 – will also be released on the same day.

You can pre-order I AM MORTAL across various site here, and be sure to check out the album Spotify link here!