Since their formation in 1992, Envy has become a dominant band in the independent hardcore and screamo scene in Japan. Their music has evolved over the years to incorporate hardcore, screamo, and most recently, the epic tendencies of post-rock. Envy is characterized by their ability to master screamo’s loud-soft dynamic to evoke both crushing brutality and gentle beauty, often within the same song. Much has been made of vocalist Tetsuya Fukugawa’s own skill at commanding this dichotomy and thusly their live shows have grown in legend over the years. The band is also noted for their deep and poetic lyrics.
The band has become increasingly popular among the post rock scene in the last few years for their incorporation of Mogwai-esque sound and composition dynamics into more traditional screamo songs. This new influence can be most easily identified on their last three releases, “All The Footprints You’ve Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead” released by Dim Mak,”A Dead Sinking Story” released on Level Plane and “Insomniac Doze” released on Temporary Residence Limited.
The band has since become friends with Mogwai and vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa was featured on a track from Mogwai’s 2006 album “Mr. Beast.”
In March of 2006, it was announced that Envy had signed to Temporary Residence Limited for American distribution of Insomniac Doze (though it was released by Mogwai’s Rock Action label in Europe and Envy’s own Sonzai Records in Japan).
Formed in Tokyo in 2003, the band - Nobuyuki Takeda (guitar), Kozo Kusumoto (guitar,synthesizer), Jun Izawa (bass), Akinori Yamamoto (drums) - are cited as an influence by a new wave of young instrumental bands around the world. Extensive touring since their formation has won them fans in Europe, the US and beyond thanks to their intense, incendiary live performances and a steady stream of EPs and albums has firmly established them as one of the most exciting bands to have emerged from Japan in the last decade. The band have most recently toured the US twice with Mike Watt & The Missingmen and will appear at Fuji Rock Festival in Japan for the second time following their first Asian tour and will soon return to European shores.
Maybeshewill are an Instrumental band based in Leicestershire, UK. They are James Collins (drums), John Helps (guitar), Robin Southby (guitar) and Jamie Ward (bass). They’ve worked tirelessly over the last five years through endless touring, two studio albums, an EP and four singles to build a loyal and enthusiastic following. Sticking to steadfastly DIY ethics, the band have self recorded all their material to date and for a long time booked all their own shows and handled all their own press.
The band released their debut four-track EP entitled ‘Japanese Spy Transcript‘ on their own label, Robot Needs Home Records in early 2006. Somehow Japan’s XTAL Recordings (Caspian, Yndi Halda) got to hear about it and released the record in an extend form in August of the same year.
Nottingham’s Field Records spotted the release, picked up the band and released their self-recorded debut album ‘Not For Want Of Trying‘ in May 2008. The record was Huw Stephen’s album of the week on his radio 1 show in its week of release and received glowing reviews from RockSound (8/10), Kerrang (4/5) and Drowned In Sound (8/10), amongst many others. After touring the release extensively around the UK with friends Fight Fire With Water, Worriedaboutsatan and And So I Watch You From Afar, they began working on their second fell-length.
A year later, in June 2009, ‘Sing The Word Hope In Four-Part Harmony‘ was released, once again through Field Records. Inspired by six months of heavy touring, the record was written to be performed live with a louder, rougher sound. Reviews were as enthusiastic once again, and the touring schedule ever more hectic with the band venturing as far afield as Japan and Russia as well as mainland Europe to promote the release. Once again they joined up with And So I Watch You From Afar as well as Cats and Cats and Cats and Death Of London for shows.
After an extended period of quiet in 2010, the band released their first new material for over a year in the form of 7″ single ‘To The Skies From A Hillside‘ and set about a near sell-out headline tour of the UK, Europe and Russia in support of the record -culminating in a massive home-coming show at Leicester’s Y-Theatre.
Shortly after returning home the band announced that they would be parting ways (amicably) with Field Records, moving on to join the Function Records roster (Meet Me In St. Louis, Cats and Cats and Cats, Shield Your Eyes). They will release the single ‘Critical Distance‘ on 7″ in March 2011, followed by their as yet untitled third full-length later that year.