“Zeppelin” by Asunojokei

Japan has had a vibrant shoegaze scene for years now, thanks to bands like Coaltar of the Deepers, For Tracy Hyde, Hartfield, Luminous Orange, Oeil, Yureruwayurei, and countless others. Thus, it should come as no surprise that it also has a burgeoning blackgaze scene that’s spearheaded by Tokyo’s own Asunojokei.

The quartet released one of my favorite songs of 2022 in “Heavenward” from their sophomore album, Island. Their latest album, the self-released Think of You, continues the sonic assault thanks to Daiki Nuno’s inhuman growls and screams and Kei Toriki’s fiery guitar work as heard on songs like “Stella” and first single “In the City Where Cobalt Falls.”

It all comes together on “Zeppelin,” the album’s penultimate track, and an absolute monster thanks to Toriki’s chugging riffs and Takuya Seki and Seiya Saito’s driving rhythm section. Meanwhile, Nuno gives voice to such expressive and evocative lyrics as “My heart breaks when I hear the voices shouting to live life to the fullest/I think of grass and flowers in the shadows under the lives stretching toward the sky” and “There must be a paradise/I know you and I will get there one day.”

Although there’s plenty of anguish in Asunojokei’s music, there’s also a sense of triumph and celebration that makes their songs all the more interesting and emotionally affecting.