Rising Arp: Local J-Rockers TSUKIYAKI Release Their Debut EP With A Sly Marketing Twist

While their origin story might’ve been fabricated, the hype that TSUKIYAKI drew was definitely real (Credit: Courtesy of TSUKIYAKI)

In the past year, you might’ve chanced upon a social media campaign about a solo local musician seeking to form a band and create a viral J-rock album. Now unless you kept tabs on that quest, what you might not know is that that was all a case of marketing smoke and mirrors, and in reality, it was a shrewd and cunning buzz tactic by an already formed band called TSUKIYAKI. The burgeoning group indeed gained traction with their crafty gambit – filled with fabricated and semi-fictional video content about their behind-the-scenes process – and it all culminated in the release of their debut self-titled EP that proudly flaunts its J-rock influences.

Beyond their social media presence, TSUKIYAKI have begun performing live this past year (Credit: Courtesy of TSUKIYAKI)

While all songs are performed in English, TSUKIYAKI’s offerings possess the technical tightness and melodic gusto you’d expect from a typical J-rock piece but with some creative twists of their own; showcasing inspired appreciation, not just bland appropriation. The EP opens with “is love enough?” with the summery and breezy anatomy of an anime beach episode, forging an indelible first impression with its eloquent guitar solos and rolling counter-melodic basslines. “eclipse” ventures into rock ballad territory, comparing love to astronomical phenomena against the musical setting of howling guitar licks, weepy strings and wistful backup vocals (even including a concluding climactic key change). But it’s on “make it make sense” where TSUKIYAKI flexes it J-rock muscles, tackling the theme of unrequited emotions with hyper-charged intensity and agile guitar arrangements that bring to mind the lissom blitzes of RADWIMPS, one of the band’s revered heroes.

It might’ve taken a marketing plot twist to get them on the scene’s radar, but TSUKIYAKI’s official arrival shows that they mean business; especially in the business of putting a Singaporean spin on J-rock.