Record label Second Royal won't just be putting on a concert this Sunday in their hometown of Kyoto, but rather a state-of-Japanese-indie-music address. The imprint's event at Club Metro features some of Japan's most buzzed (and blogged) about artists going today. Past gigs point to this being a great live event, but it will also be a chance to see a handful of Japanese artists who are poised to grab attention both domestically and overseas next year.
Kyoto-based Hotel Mexico have been generating hype since early last year, nabbing praise from various online sites including web magazine Pitchfork. The group became the face of Japanese chillwave in 2010, and they haven't been slouching this year either - Second Royal re-released their debut album nationwide while the band released two new songs, the Ariel Pink-tinged "Dear Les Friends" and the awkwardly-titled-but-sounds-good jam "We Are 69 Years Apart." Their music even appeared in American producer Pharrell's documentary "Tokyo Rising." Last month, Hotel Mexico played at Tokyo's Shibuya Echo, where they packed the venue tight. Don't be shocked if they fill up their hometown's Club Metro this Sunday.
Tokyo's The Brixton Academy appeared on the same bill as Hotel Mexico back in March, at Club Asia's 15th-anniversary show, and will do so again this Sunday. The quartet embrace 1980s new wave in a nonironic bear hug, loading up on neon-soaked synths and setting them against club-friendly beats. Their recently released second album, "Bright As Diamonds," finds The Brixton Academy in familiar territory, crafting dancey songs about nights out and heartache with a few new sonic developments added for good measure.