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Nemophila (band)

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Nemophila
Nemophila performing at Gramercy Theatre, New York in March 2023 (L-R: Hazuki, Haraguchi-san, Tamu, Mayu, Saki)
Nemophila performing at Gramercy Theatre, New York in March 2023 (L-R: Hazuki, Haraguchi-san, Tamu, Mayu, Saki)
Background information
OriginTokyo, Japan
GenresHeavy metal
hard rock
metalcore
Years active2019–present
Labels
MembersMayu
Hazuki
Haraguchi-san
Tamu Murata
Past membersSaki
Websitenemophila.tokyo

Nemophila (Japanese: ネモフィラ, Hepburn: Nemofira) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in Tokyo in 2019. It consists of vocalist Mayu, guitarist Hazuki, bassist Haraguchi-san and drummer Tamu Murata. While independently releasing three singles between 2020 and 2021, Nemophila garnered a sizable multinational following online by uploading videos to YouTube.[1][2] In June 2021, British record label JPU compiled the singles into the internationally released Oiran: Extended Edition. Nemophila released their debut studio album, Revive, in December 2021. Their most recent album, Evolve, was released in January 2024.

History

[edit]

2019–2024: Formation and success

[edit]

After leaving the rock band Lipstick, vocalist Mayu was looking to put together a backing band to support her at an August 22, 2019, live session at Wild Side Tokyo.[3] She contacted her former classmate and bassist Haraguchi-san, and the two recruited former Soramimi drummer Tamu Murata through magazines and website posts.[4] Mayu was introduced to Mary's Blood guitarist Saki through a mutual friend, and Saki in turn introduced them to Disqualia guitarist Hazuki.[3][4] Feeling that this line-up was too good to be a one-off, the musicians decided to form a real band.[3] According to Murata, Saki was initially only going to act as a supervisor to the group. It was after she decided to join as a full member, that Murata decided to join as well.[5] When deciding the band name, Mayu said that the word "sorai" came to her and seemed refreshing, but its meaning "was difficult, so we tried to soften it." Because each member is female, Mayu wanted to use the name of a flower and searched many before they found Nemophila.[4] Saki's younger brother designed the band's mon-like logo based on the flower.[6]

Nemophila played their first concerts on September 14 and 15 as part of Metal Weekend 2019 at Zepp Diver City, where they opened for Loudness and HammerFall.[7][8] They released their first single "Oiran" on February 29, 2020, and held their first one-man live that same day to a sold-out audience at Shibuya Rex.[8] Due to Murata being on maternity leave, they were supported by Show-Ya drummer Miki "Mittan" Tsunoda.[9] "Raitei", their second single, was released on August 22, 2020, the same day that Murata returned to live activities after giving birth in May.[10] On November 14, Nemophila and Gacharic Spin livestreamed a concert led by Show-Ya frontwoman Keiko Terada.[11]

Nemophila on stage at Aftershock Festival in October 2022

Their third single "Dissension" followed on February 28, 2021.[12] On April 29, the band performed at Show-Ya's all-female Naon no Yaon festival.[11] On June 22, 2021, Kai of Esprit D'Air selected Nemophila as one of his top ten favorite rock and metal bands from Japan.[13] Nemophila released their international compilation Oiran: Extended Edition from British label JPU Records on June 25.[14] Compiling the band's entire discography up to that point, plus a new English version of "Dissension", it was the most pre-ordered album in the label's history.[15] It also marked the first time the band's music had ever been available in record shops, as previously everything was sold directly from their website in Japan.[7] Nemophila released their debut studio album Revive on December 15, 2021.[16] Their first one-man concert with all five members at Line Cube Shibuya was performed on January 9, 2022[17] and the tickets sold out quickly after going on sale in October 2021.[18] The video album Nemophila Live 2022 Revive ~It's Sooooo Nice to Finally Meet You!!!!!~ featuring the live performance on that day was released on May 11, 2022.[19]

For each date of their first tour, which took place at various Zepp venues throughout June 2022, Nemophila was joined by one of the following acts; Mucc, Passcode, Loudness, Kishidan, or Rottengraffty.[20] They released Revive U.S. Version, which includes the songs from their first studio album re-recorded in English, on June 21.[21] On July 1, Nemophila played their first international concert in the United States at the Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California.[22] They also performed at Aftershock Festival in Sacramento, California on October 7.[22] Seize the Fate, the band's second album, was released on December 14.[23] Its tour ran from January to February 2023, and was followed by a three-date "US Tour" in March that included a date in Mexico.[24] From May 31 to June 15, Nemophila held another Zepp tour where they were joined by a different act each night; Rottengraffty, Hanabie., Survive Said the Prophet, or Demon Kakka. They also served as Demon Kakka's backing band for his set.[25] In July, they held two concerts in celebration of their fourth anniversary.[25] The band released a covers extended play titled The Initial Impulse on November 8.[26] It includes a cover of Limp Bizkit's "Stuck" that features Rottengraffty vocalists Naoki and Nobuya. Nemophila embarked on a one-man tour two days later.[26] They released their third studio album, Evolve, on January 17, 2024.[27] A concert celebrating their fifth anniversary was held at the Nippon Budokan on February 17.[27] On March 31, it was announced that Saki had left Nemophila due to "differences in direction" and that the band would continue as a four-piece.[28][29] Composer and producer Kensuke Akiyama also later announced he was no longer affiliated with the band, but said he was open to working with them again.[30]

2024–present

[edit]

Nemophila had their first performance as a quartet at the 2024 Naon no Yaon festival on May 18, but their first standalone concert was held at Wild Side Tokyo on May 28.[31][32] Following a tour with other acts that is scheduled for June, they will then hold a one-man tour throughout August and September.[32]

Musical style and songwriting

[edit]

Saki said the most important thing in Nemophila is to play "hard music like metalcore, but make it 'yurufuwa', to give it more of a personality. A Japanese word, it means... fluffy and smooth."[3] She elaborated in another interview, "Traditionally, rock bands have a strong, masculine image. The concept of 'yurufuwa' is to stay close to ourselves rather than forcibly portraying our female identity as masculine. We thought it was interesting to make the cuteness of something fluffy come together with intense metal parts. You can feel it in the choruses of 'Dissension' and 'Raitei', but also in our behavior on stage."[33] Hazuki has cited the various ways in which Mayu sings as an important feature of Nemophila; "Her raw voice is very characteristic. That is why we were aiming for a heavier sound."[33]

According to Saki, when the band first formed they started composing songs that combined "some little Japanese things, like in 'Oiran', some electronic elements and Japanese rock with lots of melodic elements." Although Saki composed some songs, Nemophila has a composer team that works behind the scenes and gives the members the MIDI data.[3] Hazuki said they always welcomed input from composer/producer Kensuke Akiyama; "he tells us when a phrase is cool, or when we should try something different. He suggests in a song where Mayu should use a shout voice or where a phrase to go along with a shout might fit best."[4] Saki described the process as not all that different from when the band writes their own songs; "After the songs are finished, we discuss the image the song has to convey with mister Akiyama and each other. Then we add our own ideas to the demos and that will be the foundation of the song."[33]

Mayu cites Dave Grohl as an influence and utilizes both clean and screamed vocals. Although stating that the former is more challenging for her, she said switching between the two is even more difficult.[4] Mayu writes many of the lyrics, but the vocal melodies were primarily written by Akiyama and Saki, who took her suggestions into consideration.[4] The singer writes lyrics in both Japanese and English, which is determined by the song's melody; "If the melody has a relatively small number of sounds, I'm more tempted to write English lyrics. And when I have something to say based on what I hear, I write them in Japanese. But of course, it has to be pleasant to sing. And if that's in English, I'll sometimes change it flexibly to make it sound cool."[33] Mayu also said that the lyrics are generally quite positive, which she cited as something that makes Nemophila unique.[33]

In general, Saki said she played her guitar with a slightly lower sound than fellow guitarist Hazuki.[34] They each created their own guitar solos, and Murata always creates her own drum fills.[3][4] Haraguchi-san alternates between fingerpicking and using guitar picks, but slightly prefers the former due to its thicker sound.[4]

Members

[edit]
  • Mayu – vocals (2019–present)
  • Hazuki (葉月) – guitar, backing vocals (2019–present)
  • Haraguchi-san (ハラグチサン) – bass guitar, backing vocals (2019–present)
  • Tamu Murata (むらたたむ) – drums, backing vocals (2019–present)

Former members

[edit]
  • Saki – guitar, backing vocals (2019–2024)

Discography

[edit]
Nemophila discography
Studio albums3
EPs1
Compilation albums1
Singles3
Video albums3
Music videos12

Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions
JPN
Oricon
[35] 		JPN
Billboard
Hot
[36] 		JPN
Billboard
Top
[37]
Revive
  • Released: December 15, 2021
  • Label: Master Works, JPU[38]
 8 7 9
Seize the Fate
  • Released: December 14, 2022
  • Label: Master Works[39]
 12 11 11
Evolve
  • Released: January 17, 2024
  • Label: Master Works[40]
 8 6 8

Compilation albums

[edit]
Title Album details
Oiran: Extended Edition
  • Released: June 25, 2021
  • Label: JPU

Extended plays

[edit]
Title EP details Peak chart positions
JPN
Oricon
[35] 		JPN
Billboard
Hot
[36] 		JPN
Billboard
Top
[37]
The Initial Impulse
  • Released: November 8, 2023
  • Label: Master Works
 27 28 22

Video albums

[edit]
Title Video details Peak chart positions
JPN
Oricon
Blu-ray[41]
Nemophila Live 2022 Revive ~It's Sooooo Nice to Finally Meet You!!!!!~
  • Released: May 11, 2022
 10
Nemophila Tour 2023 -Seize the Fate-
  • Released: May 24, 2023
 18
Nemophila 4th Anniversary -Rizing Nemo-
  • Released: November 8, 2023
 13
Nemophila 5th Anniversary ~Jigoku no Yurufuwa Live at Nippon Budokan~
  • Released: June 5, 2024
 3

Singles

[edit]
Title Year Album
"Oiran" 2020 Oiran: Extended Edition and Revive
"Raitei" (雷霆)
"Dissension" 2021

Digital singles

[edit]
Title Year Album
"Revive" 2021 Revive
"Hypnosis"
"A Ray of Light" 2022 Seize the Fate
"Adabana" (徒花)
"Style"
"Seize the Fate"
"Rise" 2023 Evolve
"Night Flight"
"Enigma"
"Odyssey"

Music videos

[edit]
Song Year Director(s) Link
"Raitei" (雷霆) 2020 Akira Matsuzaki[42] [1]
"Dissension" 2021 [2]
"Revive" [3]
"Hypnosis" [4]
"Hōzuki" (鬼灯) Un­known [5]
"A Ray of Light" 2022 [6]
"Adabana" (徒花) [7]
"Style" [8]
"Dissension (U.S. version)" Chris Klumpp [9]
"Seize the Fate" Un­known [10]
"Rise" 2023 [11]
"Night Flight" [12]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ ""地獄のゆるふわバンド"NEMOPHILA、3rdシングル『DISSENSION』リリース＆配信ライヴ決定！". Geki-Rock (in Japanese). February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "NEMOPHILA、LINE CUBE SHIBUYA (渋谷公会堂）での初ワンマン開催を発表". Barks (in Japanese). October 17, 2021. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Interview Saki: "Free to try what I want"". Kevy Metal. November 25, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "NEMOPHILA – Interview (2021)". UniJolt. April 18, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  5. ^ "Interview – むらたたむ［NEMOPHILA］". Rhythm & Drums Magazine (in Japanese). February 5, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  6. ^ "mayu＆SAKI／NEMOPHILA【『METAL HAMMER JAPAN Vol.8』より】". Metal Hammer (in Japanese). January 8, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  7. ^ a b "NEMOPHILA – An Interview with mayu-san". Femme Metal Webzine. August 25, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Ladies of NEMOPHILA radiate heavy metal in "OIRAN" single". JRock News. March 8, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
  9. ^ "『NEMOPHILA 1st ワンマンライブ』角田美喜出演". Show-Ya Official Site (in Japanese). December 17, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  10. ^ "SAKI（Mary's Blood）＆ドラマー むらたたむ率いる新バンド NEMOPHILA、2ndシングル『雷霆 -RAITEI-』リリース日8/22に配信ライヴ開催！むらたたむ復帰第1弾ライヴ！". Geki-Rock (in Japanese). August 20, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  11. ^ a b ""SHOW-YA PRODUCE 'NAON no YAON 2021'" to be Live Streamed Worldwide". jame-world. March 27, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  12. ^ ""地獄のゆるふわバンド"NEMOPHILA、3rdシングルリリース＆配信ライブ決定". Barks (in Japanese). February 12, 2021. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "10 Best Rock + Metal Bands From Japan by Esprit D'Air's Kai". Loudwire. June 22, 2021. Retrieved November 29, 2021.
  14. ^ "Introducing: NEMOPHILA". GigRadar. August 14, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  15. ^ "NEMOPHILA – OIRAN: Extended Edition". JPU Records. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
  16. ^ "New Album from NEMOPHILA". jame-world. October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  17. ^ "NEMOPHILA"渋公"で事実上のデビューライブ「夢のよう」全国ツアーも発表". Sports Nippon (in Japanese). January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  18. ^ "NEMOPHILAが12月15日発売の1stアルバム「REVIVE」から新たなシングル "HYPNOSIS"を11月17日にリリース！ 1月のワンマン・ホール公演は早くも完売！". Burrn! (in Japanese). October 28, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "NEMOPHILA｜ライブBlu-ray『NEMOPHILA LIVE 2022 -REVIVE ～It's sooooo nice to finally meet you!!!!!～-』5月11日発売". Tower Records Online (in Japanese). March 3, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "NEMOPHILA、Zeppツーマンツアーのゲスト発表 5/11にファーストワンマンのBlu-rayとデジタルシングルのリリースも決定". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022.
  21. ^ "【英語盤リリース&LAライヴ決定】". YouTube (in Japanese). April 29, 2022. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  22. ^ a b "【ライブレポート】NEMOPHILA、溢れるテンションを巻き散らす対バンツアーファイナル＠Zepp Haneda". Barks (in Japanese). June 25, 2022. Retrieved July 2, 2022.
  23. ^ "ガールズバンド・NEMOPHILAが2ndアルバム発売、メンバー作詞のタイトル曲を先行配信". Natalie (in Japanese). September 29, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  24. ^ "ガールズバンド・NEMOPHILAが2ndアルバム発売、メンバー作詞のタイトル曲を先行配信". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). October 7, 2022. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  25. ^ a b "NEMOPHILA、配信シングルとライブBDのリリースが決定　対バンツアーの出演アーティストも発表". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). March 3, 2023. Retrieved May 31, 2023.
  26. ^ a b "NEMOPHILA、初の日本武道館ライブが2024年2月17日に決定". Barks (in Japanese). September 14, 2023. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  27. ^ a b "NEMOPHILA、最新3rdアルバム『EVOLVE』を1/17リリース". Barks (in Japanese). January 16, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  28. ^ "SAKI Leaves NEMOPHILA". JaME World. April 1, 2024. Archived from the original on April 2, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  29. ^ "NEMOPHILA、SAKIの脱退を発表". Ototoy (in Japanese). March 31, 2024. Archived from the original on April 1, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  30. ^ Kensuke Akiyama [@Kensuke_589] (May 24, 2024). "よく聞かれるので！新体制のNEMOPHILAになってからは現状は関わっておりません！また一緒にやれる日を楽しみに、みんなの成長を見守っております！どんなバンドになっていくのか楽しみ✨" (Tweet). Retrieved May 24, 2024 – via Twitter.
  31. ^ "SHOW-YA／NEMOPHILA／SILENT SIREN／相川七瀬ら出演、【NAONのYAON 2024】のライブレポートが到着". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). May 20, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
  32. ^ a b "NEMOPHILA、対バンツアーのゲストにLOUDNESSなどが決定". Barks (in Japanese). May 17, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  33. ^ a b c d e "Interview Nemophila: Close to Themselves". Kevy Metal. August 15, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  34. ^ "【プロミュージシャンのスペシャル楽器が見たい】NEMOPHILA SAKI、ガッツのある音と桜のインレイで"Killerなのにかわいい"7弦のシグネチャーモデル". Barks (in Japanese). October 18, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  35. ^ a b "Nemophilaのアルバム作品". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  36. ^ a b Peak chart positions for albums and EPs on Billboard Japan's Hot Albums chart:
  37. ^ a b Peak chart positions for albums and EPs on Billboard Japan's Top Albums chart:
  38. ^ Andrew White, G (December 24, 2021). "Nemophila brings album "Revive" to international scale". JRock News. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
  39. ^ "2nd アルバム「Seize the Fate」リリース！". Nemophila Official Website. September 29, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  40. ^ "NEMOPHILA 3rdアルバム「EVOLVE」収録情報解禁!!". Nemophila Official Website. December 11, 2023. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  41. ^ "NEMOPHILAのBlu-ray作品". Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved May 19, 2022.
  42. ^ "ディレクション・撮影・編集". Ratel Story Inc. (in Japanese). Retrieved November 12, 2021.
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