Could This Be Your Favorite New Band?

I think it's mine...

Koiai (Part II)

Wakazaemon, Hazuki and Kotono, screen shot from “A New Picture”, © Koiai

“This can’t be real. What are they putting in the water over there?”

It’s a running joke among followers of the Japanese music scene. There seems to be a bottomless well of astonishing young musicians putting it all on the line. The question comes up in particular when a band loses one or more key members, and promptly finds people to take their places, without any loss in capability.

So it is that when we left Lisa-X, she and her shred-buddy Hazuki had just lost their luminous vocalist Rina, and were deciding what to do next:

The most important decision they faced was whether to continue as a “project”, or rebuild as a complete band. What’s the difference? I put it down to the roles of the other musicians: are they stepping in and out of supporting roles, or are they permanent members of the band? Lisa and Hazuki chose the latter.

In recognition of the fact that this is no longer a Lisa-X hobby band with supporting musicians, they rebranded themselves, taking the name Koiai (“strong love”). Their old friend Kotono rejoined them, but now full-time, after having done stints with various other groups, including the semi-satirical metal-idol band Ironbunny.

While they were working on filling out the rest of the permanent lineup, they released one single. You’ll see Kotono’s voice has some similarities to Rina’s — clear and ringing, with a cabaret lilt that fits perfectly with this sort of song:

“Make You Regret”

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Their big catch was Kanade Sato on drums. Sato is 21 and has left her “prodigy” days behind her. Now she is simply one of the top fusion drummers in the world. She is a member of the electric jazz band Muses…

…and is in high demand as a session drummer. She is often compared with (the heretofore incomparable) Senri Kawaguchi.

Wakazaemon has become their regular bassist, though she also has a busy dance card. She frequently tours with Marty Friedman (the former lead guitarist for Megadeth) and is also a member of the fusion group East of Eden. She is one of those bassists who treat it as a co-lead instrument, and she has the skills to make it work.

This is one of the most high-potential new lineups I’ve seen in a long time. They can fairly be considered a super-group despite the fact that they are all barely old enough to drink (Lisa is the youngest, at 19). They seem to have good chemistry and are practically igniting before our eyes.

Here are three more recent clips, with the full new lineup. The striking thing about these is the sheer variety. It’s like listening to three different bands, all of which are packed with talented musicians.

“One Way or Another”

The song starts off with strong vibes of old hard-rockers like Steve Miller, Grand Funk Railroad and AC/DC. Those bands never played with this kind of touch, though. Kotono overlays the riffs with jazzy vocals while the guitars do a constant back-and-forth. And those solos!

“Automatic” (cover of Dirty Loops version)

Dirty Loops are a Swedish dance-electronica fusion band. They are big on the club circuit in Europe, and this was one of their best-known hits. Koiai have recast it as out-and-out jazz. Lots of fun with scale and key changes and Kotono shows off her vocal agility.

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“A New Picture” (Live, 2023)

This could be the soundtrack for a slasher movie set in a carnival ride (where have we seen that before?) The transitions between contrasting atmospheres in this one are almost shocking but work beautifully. It’s a Tour-de-force for the guitarists.

This may be my favorite new band to come out in the last 2–3 years. Of course, all of the members were known quantities — I’ve been following some of them since they were child prodigies wowing audiences on YouTube. They combine Jedi-level musicianship with creative and varied songwriting from Lisa-X and Hazuki. If this lineup lasts for a while, I think we are in for a crazy ride.