The first edition of Get To Know, where Rachel Fisher will introduce you to artists that you should definitely get acquainted with.
never young beach
https://youtu.be/ly-nbGwURgg
Never young beach is a 4-member Japanese rock band from Tokyo, Japan. In total, they have released three studio albums; Yashinoki House was their debut album which was released in 2015. Vinyl, CD, and cassette versions of the album were released. In 2016, never young beach’s second album, Fam Fam, was released. The following year in 2017, the band’s third album, titled A Good Time was released. In 2018, a 10” vinyl was released with 2 new songs, うつらない/歩いてみたら.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BnIt8zZnf1-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Never young beach’s style is comfortable. It’s surf rock, made by guys who want to have a cool sound. There is nothing that says they’re trying too hard and you can tell—for proof just listen to their old SoundCloud demos (which I personally adore). Everything gives off the vibe that you’re relaxing on a beach listening to their songs, from the album covers (well, Yashinoki House and A Good Time at least) to the music videos (どうでもいいけど, among others). The catchy guitar riffs melt together with frontman Abe Yuuma’s vocals like they’re one entity altogether.
https://open.spotify.com/track/2fOSopHlKW1WeAx5e88yFB
This chill surf rock genre is popular nowadays all throughout Japan. Perhaps because Japan is made up of a bunch of islands they really like the sound. In any case, never young beach provides a neat link between “traditional”, if you will, California sound and fun Japanese rock of the recent years. There seems to be a motif of an eternal summer, like I mentioned before with the beaches on the album covers, but there’s even a song called "夏がそうさせた (Natsu ga Sou Saseta)" which pretty much translates to “summer made it so” and another "夏のドキドキ (Natsu no Dokidoki)" meaning “the pounding of summer”. It’s safe to say summer is forever in the hearts of never young beach and they want you to feel the same way.
https://open.spotify.com/track/3DnenGaRMZ3InqGaywVZhr
Along with just making good music, never young beach are great performers. They have played at venues like WWW Shibuya, Yebisu Ya Pro, and ZEPP Nagoya, as well as at big festivals like Summer Sonic and Rock in Japan. They have even played at international festivals like Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival in South Korea! Speaking of South Korea, never young beach and Korean band Hyukoh have played shows together, as they are friends (could your faves ever)! Like all good bands, their live sound is authentic—filled with accidental out of key slips and heavy hitting of cymbals that drown out vocals which (sometimes) turns into emotionally fueled yelling (in the most elegant of ways). You go to the show for something you can’t get on the studio recordings, and they deliver.
https://open.spotify.com/track/7LUWoJeF00KOeu3jc7nb5E
A few of my favorite songs are "ちょっと待ってよ(Chotto Matteyo)," "夏がそうさせた(Natsu ga Sou Saseta)," "Motel, 明るい未来 (Akarui Mirai)," "なんかさ (Nankasa)," and "気持ちいい風が吹いたんです (Kimochii Kaze ga Fuitandesu)." You really can't go wrong with songs by never young beach, because they’re all great.
