sumika

Hard-hitting indie rockers with a sensitive, even nostalgic side, sumika came together in Kawasaki, Japan as a musical dwelling (the English meaning of their name) for singer-guitarist Kenta Kataoka, bassist Junnosuke Kuroda, and drummer Tomoyuki Arai. In 2013, the trio released their debut EP, Shinsekai Orichalcum, introducing Japan to sumika's musical genki, a deft blend of energy and pleasure, reflected in tracks that combine tricky guitars with buoyant melodies. The trio broadened their musical mandate on 2015's Vital Apartment with the addition of keyboardist Takayuki Ogawa, whose harmonic coloring laid the groundwork for 2018's "Fiction," a peppy reanimation of nostalgic '60s music-hall pop that became both a Top 10 hit and the opening theme to the animé TV series Wotakoi: Love Is Hard for Otaku. With driving rock still embedded in their DNA, sumika continued to explore '60s niche delights on 2019's Chime, which collected "Fiction" alongside jazzy manouche-pop ("Strawberry Fields") and love songs with lyrical strings ("Himitsu"). The following year, their billowing country-pop track "Sense of Wonder" scored ads for a popular Japanese private school. The group are also known for their acoustic alter ego, Sumika [camp session], whose experimental live performances include collaborations with filmmakers, painters, potters, and poets, creating a humbler artistic abode alongside sumika's increasingly sprawling, genki-fuelled commercial estate.