Blending elements of punk, avant garde, free jazz, ska, surf, and that funky "je ne sais quoi" possessed by so many Japanese girl bands, TsuShiMaMiRe comprises Yayoi (bass), Mari (guitar and vocals), and Mizue (drums). After releasing several demo singles and one full-length, the band made their indie label debut on Audrey Kimura's Benten imprint, created to release Japanese music overseas and home of other girl bands including
Petty Booka,
Titan Go King's, Lolita No. 18, and Mummy the Peepshow. The band was formed in 1999 when the girls were still in university in Chiba Prefecture. Playing at small area clubs, TsuShiMaMiRe also recorded the demo singles "Hamburger Set" (1999) and "Bloody Mohawk" (2001). Tapping into Japanese girl band popularity abroad, the girls joined
Bleach, Noodles, and Kokeshi Doll on a 2004 US tour, including the obligatory stop at the Japan-friendly South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX. TsuShiMaMiRe released its debut album,
Pregnant Fantasy, in summer, 2004. Containing a mix of cuts from their demo singles and new songs, the sound is tight and well-executed, while preserving a refreshing, playful/vicious spontaneity and explosiveness. Whereas Japanese punk bands often prefer to include singalong, 50s style elements in their songs, TsuShiMaMiRe appears to be informed more by punk, noise, and jazz, and the guitar and bass often engage in wild riff interplay, lending the music a welcome spaciousness that invites repeat listens. ...
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Blending elements of punk, avant garde, free jazz, ska, surf, and that funky "je ne sais quoi" possessed by so many Japanese girl bands, TsuShiMaMiRe comprises Yayoi (bass), Mari (guitar and vocals), and Mizue (drums). After releasing several demo singles and one full-length, the band made their indie label debut on Audrey Kimura's Benten imprint, created to release Japanese music overseas and home of other girl bands including
Petty Booka,
Titan Go King's, Lolita No. 18, and Mummy the Peepshow. The band was formed in 1999 when the girls were still in university in Chiba Prefecture. Playing at small area clubs, TsuShiMaMiRe also recorded the demo singles "Hamburger Set" (1999) and "Bloody Mohawk" (2001). Tapping into Japanese girl band popularity abroad, the girls joined
Bleach, Noodles, and Kokeshi Doll on a 2004 US tour, including the obligatory stop at the Japan-friendly South by Southwest music festival in Austin, TX. TsuShiMaMiRe released its debut album,
Pregnant Fantasy, in summer, 2004. Containing a mix of cuts from their demo singles and new songs, the sound is tight and well-executed, while preserving a refreshing, playful/vicious spontaneity and explosiveness. Whereas Japanese punk bands often prefer to include singalong, 50s style elements in their songs, TsuShiMaMiRe appears to be informed more by punk, noise, and jazz, and the guitar and bass often engage in wild riff interplay, lending the music a welcome spaciousness that invites repeat listens. Lyrical content is, as we have come to expect from Japanese girl bands, way out there, ranging from a song about how fish paste feels when it is cooked ("Camaboco") to an imaginary conversation between a newborn baby and its mother ("Pregnant Fantasy"). The band toured
Pregnant Fantasy abroad in the spring of 2005 on the Japan Girls Nite Tour that crisscrossed the United States, and was back again in October and November for several more well-received shows.
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