Post-rock is a music genre that emerged in the late 1980’s, with the most famous bands/artists being from the UK, USA, or Canada—the three countries where post-rock is said to have first appeared. When you think of music from Japan, post-rock might not be the first genre to come to mind. Actually, math rock is considered a favorite for many Japanese artists. However, math rock is often combined with post-rock and a wide range of other genres. Today we will explore a diverse list of Japanese post-rock bands and artists whose music is rich with hints of metal, progressive, experimental, and much more. We have previously explored their jazz roots and extensions, today we delve into the Japanese art of creating ambient and evolving soundscapes in what the west knows as post-rock. Happy Listening!

 

Not all of the bands in the article were found on Spotify, but we curated a 20 song playlist if you want to shuffle it on the platform:




1- Hyakkei 百景

 

 

Genre(s): post-rock, instrumental, experimental, math rock

Where and when was the band formed?

Osaka, Japan in 2003

What does the name of the band mean?

The name of the band, Hyakkei, means “hundreds of landscapes”

Who are the band members?

Band members: Ken Tanaka (drums), Natsuko Kiyabu (bass), and Shuhei Nakamato (guitar)

 

 

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

2- té

Genre(s): post-rock, experimental, prog rock

When and where was the band formed?

Tokyo, Japan in 2004

Fun facts:

  • Their album titles always consist of 29 characters. Their song titles consist of 30 characters.
  • Originally called té japonais (Japanese tea)

 

Who are the band members?

Akihiro Kono (guitar), Hirotoshi Kuroda (guitar), Tomohiro Matsuda (bass), and Fukuda Yoko (drums)

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

3- Kibaco 木箱

 

Genre(s): post-rock, electronic, ambient, experimental

Where and when was the duo formed?

Sapporo, Japan formed in 2004

What does their name mean?

kibaco, in Kanji as 木箱, means “wooden box”

Who are the duo members?

Saya (vocals, guitar, synths) and Satoshi Nishimura (guitar, synths)

 

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

 

4- toe

Genre(s): post-rock, math rock, experimental

Where and when was the band formed?

Tokyo, Japan in 2000

Who are the band members?

Kashikura Takashi (drums), Mino Takaaki (guitar), Yamane Satoshi (bass), and Yamazaki Hirokazu (guitar).

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

 

5- Midoriyama

Genre(s): post-rock, instrumental, ambient

Where is he from?

Tokyo, Japan

When did he start making music?

2003

Fun fact: He makes music using nothing but a guitar.

 

 

What does he sound like?

 

6- Naan

 

 

Genre(s): post-rock, math rock, alternative, instrumental

Debut album: Dokusa (2007)

Who are they?

This remains a mystery. All we know is that they’re a post-rock, instrumental duo from Japan.

 

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

 

7- Speaker Gain Teardrop

Genre(s): post-rock, ambient, experimental, instrumental, shoegaze

Where and When was the band formed?

Hiroshima, Japan in 1998

Who are the band members?

Ikki Murakami (drums) and Yasuchika Horibe (guitar), and Fumiaki Kimura (bass)

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

 

8- Presence of Soul

Genre(s): post-rock, post-metal, shoegaze, experimental, progressive

Where and when was the band formed?

Tokyo, Japan in 2005

Who are the band members?

Yuki (vocals, guitar, piano), and Yoshi (guitar)—there’s also a bass player and a drummer whose names are unknown.

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

 

9- Spangle call Lilli line (SCLL)

 

Genre(s): post-rock, indie, electronica, downtempo

Where and when was the band formed?

Shimokitazawa, Japan in 1998

Who are the band members?

Kana Otsubo, Ken Fujieda and Kiyosaki Sasahara

 

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.

 

10- envy

Genre(s): post-rock, screamo, post-hardcore, experimental, alternative

When was the band formed?

1992

Who are the band members?

Nobukata Kawai and Manabu Nakagawa

Fun fact: Former vocalist, Tetsuya Fukagawa, was featured on Mogwai’s ‘I Chose Horses‘

 

 

What do they sound like?

Like what you hear? Listen to more of their songs here.