NOTE FROM JP ALT STAFF: Welcome to JP ALT’s monthly edition of our Best of the Month recap. Since we were on a short hiatus in May, we have decided to combine the last two months. As well as this, our monthly recaps will now consist of one (two in this case) major write up for our highlight, and the rest will be in a fashionable mixtape format so all of our readers can easily stay up to date with alternative releases from Japan. Onto our highlights!
April Highlight:
Butter Sugar Toast- Long Play I
In my short year and a half living in Tokyo, I explored a large range of music and venues. All excellent in their own right, one band which particularly captured my heart was the post-hardcore band “Butter Sugar Toast”. Immediately, their fondness of guttural screaming and noisy melodic sound captured the inner chaos of my being.
Formed in 2020, they released their first EP (Extended Play 1) in 2022. A pure joy with clear inspiration held in the post-hardcore and emo genres of the 80s and 90s. Visions of bands like Unwound or Nation of Ulysses arose in my mind, in particular with the tracks Mushroom Kingdom and Sink. Never shying away from the noise, never capitulating, always cathartic and rage bearing.
The first time I saw them live at Shinjuku’s Nine Spices venue, I was blown away. “Why don’t they play more?”, “How have I never heard of them before?”. It was unfortunate, especially with other great bands such as Computer Fight, SPOILMAN, or Sorry No Camisole all having regular appearances at the time. Nevertheless, the relative infrequency of their live shows made Butter Sugar Toast all the more special in my mind.
Now, 4 years after their EP, they have released their first LP (Long Play 1). Building and perfecting their sound: Holepuncher, White Sugar, Empty Room, Pudding, these capture the BST I know. Unrelenting in their tonal aggressiveness, building to boiling point with their collective wall of noise and grand vocals from their lead, Takujiro Sakae.
Despite this clear return, the tracks Six Slices and Asphalt show evolution within the band. Refined focus on a broader picture for the LP, acting almost like a (relatively) calming ground before the heavy hitters resume their emphatic triumph. Sakae’s vocals take a balanced tone, with elements of control hankering to later phases of emo and post hardcore.
The guitarwork on this record is immaculate – BST channel the dirty energy of the old masters of grunge with gargantuan, fuzzy riffs that are accompanied by Sakae’s vocals, painting a vivid picture of a dull, smelly garage filled with noise and angry dudes in worn-out band tees. That is the energy that Long Play 1 brings to the table. It would be weird to say that this sound is a breath of fresh air, because that formula has been done in the past, however not many bands that are currently active follow this style anymore. It’s a shame indeed, but BST are filling this vacuum really nicely. The record is strong from start to finish, and in overall, is a must-listen to anyone who likes heavy riffs and guttural screams.
With all this said, I think BST describes their sound and influences best. They aren’t wholly bound by reference or imitation. Neither are they tied to the nostalgic past of the genre. Their sound is now, present, immediate, unfolding and unravelling through every live show you manage to catch them in. Post-Hardcore is alive. Post hardcore is here to stay. Post hardcore lives in the heart of bands like BST.
Words by élégiaque
May Highlight:
The Bercedes Menz- Weapons
The Bercedes Menz are, in my head, a myth. They are a three-piece band with a vocalist concealing his identity, describing themselves as a “hardcore J-pop band”. The music they create though speaks for itself. The Bercedes Menz is one of the most intense rock bands in Japan right now. Their latest release, Weapons, sees them perfect their catchy J-pop sensibilities that drown violently in a raging ocean of aggression. The album arrives with a punch, without any second to take your breath, and simply punches you. Or stabs you. Or shoots you. Pummels you. Explodes you? Cracks your jaw? It really depends on the song, as every single song on the album is named after some kind of a weapon, and every song pulls something from your chest before you could realize you’ve been cut. Or stabbed. Or sho-
Weapons is their major debut, released on May 27th on VAP, and opens with “knife”, which works perfectly as a thesis statement for the band. The first words uttered on this record by the band’s vocalist, Kazunari Wada, are “So that the summer I’m living through dead never arrives / I go on thinking about you, endlessly” set the entire lyrical mood for the album. The guitars are already in motion since the first second, and the melodies are all somehow so similar and at times nostalgic, like you’ve heard them before. This paired with the aggressive feedback, Wada’s screams and the velocity that this album operates on is something hard to execute. The sweetness doesn’t soften the aggression, the aggression doesn’t mute the sweetness. This balance is perhaps the most amazing part of the record.
The lead single for this album is “knuckle duster”, which received an improved mix. The song was penned for the movie Higuma!!. Fuku Suzuki, who starred in this movie, also starred in the music video for “knuckle duster”. The song boasts snarky verses, almost rapped at times, and a chanting chorus which gets engrained in your brain from the very first listen. The back half of the album goes into more unconventional directions, for example “ice pick” features rap verses (from all members, the boys can rap really well!) recorded on a relay mic, and the entire song feels very call-and-response-esque. The closer, “pistol” has a gospel-style vocals reverberating for the entire track, which is, essentially, a cathartic hardcore ballad.
The Bercedes Menz have been deleted from Wikipedia which propelled them to create their own version of a Wikipedia page for the band. (https://thebercedesmenz.wiki). If you’re interested in the band, it is a really nice source of information from the guys themselves, and I urge you to check it out. It also sheds more light on the identity of Kazunari Wada- the page says that he is a descendant of Wada Yoshimori, a warrior who was active from Heian to Kamakura period. It also informs the reader that his name, Kazunari, was inspired by the iconic Japanese footballer, Kazuyoshi Miura, best known for being the oldest active footballer in the world, still playing at the age of 59. We can safely assume that Kazunari Wada himself might be a timeless entity.
“Weapons” is short and sweet, it does not overstay its welcome. Nine songs on the record, 29 minutes in length is a good runtime for a record of this intensity. The melody and violence that coexist in the band’s sound are not the opposites; they work well, they might be even more than coworkers, opposites attract, you know? Big things are awaiting The Bercedes Menz, and I will be here to witness them. “Weapons” only proves that the fire in the band’s members burns bright and will not dim anytime soon.
Words by Seb
Here’s the mixtape we prepared for you, containing the best tracks released in the past two months. Enjoy!
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