I first got into J-Rock in high school, particularly through spending weekends watching anime. Thanks to that, I found out about amazing bands such as Orange Range, Maximum The Hormone, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and countless other sweet groups during this period. To a 12 year old Australian kid from Far North Queensland, these bands seemed exciting and interesting, in comparison to the rather dull groups emerging from the land down under during this period (*cough*Jet*cough*). In a time where thousands of genres seemingly can seemingly spawn, peak and die within a 24-hour-cycle, J-Rock might quite not hold the same allure as it did 10 years ago. However there are still quite a few hidden gems worth discovering in the genre. Here are several recent bands that I reckon are well worth your time. Special thanks goes out to my flatmate Yuto for introducing me to at least half of these bands, thanks mate! 😉
One OK Rock
One OK Rock are easily the biggest band on this list, having supported All Time Low on tour in North America, as well as performing on the Vans Warped Tour in 2014. A near constant touring ethic and a driving ambition has allowed One OK Rock to garner a pretty decent contingent of fans worldwide, which isn’t something many Japanese bands are able to accomplish. The group’s ability to alternate between uptempo post-hardcore and sickly sweet pop rock is unparalleled, and lead singer Taka has the kind of sickly sweet vocals that entice listeners with the ease of a pro. What’s interesting about One OK Rock is that they often alternate between singing both English and Japanese, except unlike the other bands on this list they don’t hilariously screw it up. Their 2013 album JinseixBoku= is an absolutely essential listen, chock full of gorgeous synths, mosh riffs and a plethora of catchy hooks to boot.
Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas
My flatmate sold Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas to me by saying they were essentially the Japanese Attack Attack! He’s definitely not wrong, this song basically screams late 2000’s Attack Attack!, from the borderline comical Autotune on the singers voice to synthesizers so gaudy they’d make Joey Sturgis blush. Naming themselves after the famous Hunter S. Thompson novel was a perfect decision on their part, since I can’t imagine this music being produced under any situation that doesn’t involve copious amounts of drug usage. Imagine if Attack Attack! and Maximum The Hormone were thrown in a blender and forced to write the theme song for the next One Piece series, that’s an approximate summation of what this band sounds like. It’s cheesy, stupid, and downright insane at times. But if you can put all that aside, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas are a hell of a fun band that most definitely deserve your attention.
Man With A Mission
Man With A Mission’s main gimmick is that all the band members tend to wear wolf masks when they play onstage, reminiscent of the Beat Crusaders in a way. Aside from this, they’re one of the more straightforward groups in this list, mostly playing alternative rock with little-to-no variations or studio trickery in their arsenal. They’ve amassed a strong fan following in Japan. One of their songs was even the theme to Mad Max: Fury Road’s Japanese release, a collaboration with North American rap rockers Zebrahead that is, suffice to say, face-meltingly awesome. They actually have to wear special masks when performing live, since you can imagine jumping around and performing would get pretty sweaty with those big things on your head. They’re quite an interesting band, If I have to say so myself.
Good Morning America
Good Morning America skews in more of a pop punk direction than the other bands on this list. I first became aware of these guys after their single “Hello Hello Hello” above was used as the ending theme to Dragon Ball Super. They’re more in tune with borderline pop punk groups such as Mayday Parade or All Time Low in terms of sound. I was legitimately surprised when I first heard this song, since if it weren’t sung in Japanese you could easily mistake it for an Neck Deep or State Champs song, it just has such a huge American influence in the sound. But even then, the song’s soaring vocal melodies and chiming guitars betray Good Morning America’s roots and help distinguish them from the glut of New Found Glory clones plaguing pop punk in the west. Definitely a group to keep your eye on.
Alexandros
Unlike 90% of the other bands on this list, Alexandros are more in tune with straightforward rock ’n roll bands. They actually remind me quite a bit of The Strokes with their 3-chord riffs and complete lack of musical pretensions (not to mention those leather jackets, yeesh). Despite the garish fashion choices, Alexandros are pretty sick. I came across them one morning while channel hopping and the video for Dracula La came up on SBS. They’re not exactly pushing any boundaries, but that sure as hell doesn’t negate the quality of their music. Alexandros have their niche and good god do they excel at fitting into that niche. If you ever find yourself pining for the glory days of rock ’n roll or just wish The Strokes never dropped off, give Alexandros a spin. I guarantee you’ll love ’em as much as I do.
SiM
SiM are a strange band, to say the least.This particular song heavily channels Suicide Season-era Bring Me The Horizon, what with the singer’s trendy clothes and the bands penchant for soul-crushing breakdowns. Despite this, the band’s overall sound resembles pretty much everything but the kitchen sink, with some of their other work ranging from pop punk, to hardcore to full blown reggae at times. SiM belong to a larger musical movement in Japan titled “Visual Kei”, characterised by an emphasis on wild and flamboyant imagery to go along with the music. They definitely look like a product of their time, and are sure to bring a smile to any kid who used to have dyed black hair and skinny jeans any point in their life.
SpecialThanks
Much like Good Morning America, SpecialThanks play sugary, hook-filled pop punk. Unlike Good Morning America however, they place far more emphasis on the punk side of pop punk, with their music harking back to the glory days of 90’s skate punk bands such as NOFX or early Green Day. Their music is chock full of d-beats, 3-chord riffs and enough snotty vocals for you to shake a safety pin at. Picture Paramore if they were transported to the Aichi Prefecture and swapped Hayley Williams out for an idol singer, that’s basically SpecialThanks in a nutshell. As far as I know, all their songs are sung in English which is appealing to me. The downside is that lead singer Misaki has some of the most baffling pronunciation I’ve ever heard in my life. I’m honestly not sure how Japanese listeners are supposed to understand this, since I can hardly make out what the lead singer is saying 90% of the time when listening to this. Stilted English aside, SpecialThanks are downright amazing and deserve all your love and support, even if their English is a little rusty.
FACT
What is it with bands in Japan and wearing masks? Oh well, these guys are amazing anyway. Much like One OK Rock, FACT have a significant presence in the west, haven opened for acts such as Memphis May Fire, Taking Back Sunday and Senses Fail on tours. They’re also significantly older than most of these other bands, initially forming in 1999 (!). Their self-titled album from 2009 is arguably one of the best trancecore albums released during that period, as well as being their sole release through famed American punk label, Vagrant Records. Unfortunately they replaced their vocalist recently and ditched the trancecore stylings for more of a generic metalcore direction. Their earlier work is still amazing though, and you should definitely check it out if you’re a fan of groups in the vein of Asking Alexandria or Attack Attack! One for the
Patrick Connors is an anime loving nerd currently living in South East Queensland. If you want you check out his other writings on Society Of Sound, or you can follow him on Twitter for more general musings.
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