The members of SEKAI NO OWARI show how a familiar rock sound can be successfully updated for the new millennium on its first album, Earth. All four performers in the group grew up listening to and absorbing the driving and dramatic stylings of Japanese bands such as BUMP OF CHICKEN. That fondness for the J-rock genre inspired vocalist Fukase, pianist Saori, and guitarist Nakajin to form a cover band as high schoolers. The trio had an itch, however, to add contemporary elements to its original songs. To achieve this, SEKAI NO OWARI welcomed DJ LOVE into its fold, bringing in electronic touches to its style and a sense of visual flair, as the percussionist performed while wearing a clown mask. It’s those details on SEKAI NO OWARI’s 2010 debut that earned the indie group notice from across Japan’s musical community. But it’s the extras that truly set the band apart. Fukase adds Auto-Tune—common in the country’s electro-pop scene but a rarity in J-rock—to his voice on “Maboroshi No Inochi” and “Aoi Taiyou.” The addition offers a fantastical touch to otherwise reverent cuts. The band also employs vocoder effects throughout Earth, further disrupting the familiar and transforming the upbeat “Nijiro No Sensou” into a dizzying number—unlike anything else in the country upon its release. These touches would define the band in the years ahead as it graduated from indie rock to the top of the charts. On Earth, the quartet also highlights Fukase’s idealistic lyrics. Channeling youthful imagination, the songs on SEKAI NO OWARI’s first album overflow with teenage feelings, from excitement over potential love to big-picture ponderings on what a utopian world would look like. Coupled with Auto-Tune, his lyrics about rainbows, the power of music, and peace take on a surreal feel. SEKAI NO OWARI’s debut nods to the rock that came before but confidently unveils a sound built for the now.