Eastern Youth | Artist
Eastern Youth is a Japanese Indie-punk rock band formed 1988 in Sapporo by Hisashi Yoshino (vocals, guitar), Atsuya Tamori (drums), and Toru Mitsuhashi (bass). Tomokazu Ninomiya took over on bass in 1992 and was replaced by current bassist Yuka Muraoka in 2015. Unusual for a trio, the band's sound is especially complex, blending many different styles, from post-rock to punk. Their lyrics express the helplessness of Japanese youths, and their influences include bands such as Fugazi, Jawbreaker, Jets to Brazil, Stiff Little Fingers and Discharge. The three fell into Japan's so-called "band boom" of the early '90s, and soon became a major force in the Japanese emo scene. Starting out in 1986, childhood friends Hisashi Yoshino and Atsuya Tamori formed a band called Scanners. From 1989 to 1993 they were the top Oi!/skinhead act in Japan, releasing 3 albums and a single. The band then changed their name to Eastern youth, and shed the skinhead image of their past. Upon moving to Tokyo in 1990, they put out their first release "A Whistle Rings Late At Night" on their record label Sakamoto-Shoten. Within the next 5 years, Eastern Youth became legendary to the Japanese indie rock scene and in 2000 they played in the United States for the first time, with At The Drive-In, which broadened their popularity. They continued to tour America with Jimmy Eat World in 2001, and Saddle Creek band Cursive in 2006, with whom Eastern Youth split sides on 2002's 8 Teeth to Eat You EP. During the "Bottom of the World" Tour in 2015 Tomokazu Ninomiya announced that he would be leaving the band and was replaced by female bassist Muraoka Yuka. The band has 19 studio albums to their credit, plus EP's and Singles. Standout albums include Eastern Youth (1993), Kumoinukekoe (1999), Kanjyuseioutouseyo (2001), SONGentoJIYU (2017), and 2020 (2020). They frequently use striking, high-art or somber real-world imagery for their album covers—such as utilizing works by famous painter Yuzo Saeki or stark railway photography that matches their melancholic blues-punk ethos.
Artist Website: hadashino-ongakusha.jp
Featured Albums: Eastern Youth
Related Artists: Hisashi Yoshino, Acute