“We are not clowns.” That single line may say everything there is to say about The Parade. Based in Sweden, they released their debut album 『City of Dreams』 without ever sharing a clear artist photo or revealing who they are. A pub, a darts match, a woman’s voice singing along to a song long after […]
Author: a-indie
molar system on Their First Japan Tour and EP 『system malfunction』
“I once whispered it almost like a wish — that I hoped to perform in Japan someday — and before I knew it, it had come true.” It was a chance encounter with members of the Japanese band bed that set the wheels in motion for molar system’s first visit to Japan. This Seoul-based indie […]
The Horrors’ members have remixed Strange Fruit’s “Drips”!
Strange Fruit Return After a Decade with New EP “Drips” Jakarta’s electronic band Strange Fruit release their long-awaited EP ‘Drips’ on April 3, 2026, marking their first new music in ten years. Spanning acid house, ambient, shoegaze and rave across nine tracks, the EP also features remixes by Tom Furse (The Horrors), Jonathan Kusuma, and […]
deary Interview | Bella Union Debut and the World of ‘Birding’
deary is a dream pop trio based in London. Blending shoegaze, dream pop, and trip-hop sensibilities into something disciplined, harmonious, and dignified, they release their debut album 『Birding』 on London’s prestigious independent label Bella Union. An interview that confronts deary and their debut album head-on: the roots of a band forged through childhood solitude and […]
Bedroom Pop from Fukuoka, Japan | A Happypills Interview
“Not quite sky, but not quite space either.” That is the kind of distance you feel listening to Happypills. Yuki Kondo has been committed to expressing bedroom indie pop in Japanese, and now, five years on, he is releasing the EP 『happypills (dream)』. From the influence of Galileo Galilei and The Drums, to connections made […]
From Argentina to Tokyo: Anime Pilgrimages, Vinyl Hunting, and Twenty Days in Japan🗾
“Japan Was Always a Dream” RAM and Nini came all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina. They made a pilgrimage to Hida-Takayama for an anime setting, filled a goshuin-cho stamp notebook at temples and shrines across the country, and flipped through vinyl at Tower Records Shibuya — picking up records by Lamp and Sheena Ringo. […]
“Japan Is Cool” | Two Argentine Students on J-Indie and Film
“Japan is cool” — we hear the phrase often, but rarely get to witness it firsthand. Yet in Argentina, a growing number of young people genuinely love Japanese anime, manga, and even Japanese indie music. RAM, who writes reviews for A-indie, and his girlfriend Nini are two of them. Attending different universities, they talk in […]
Nation of Language: Memory Is a Dance — Interview
A band from Brooklyn, New York has arrived with a strange and beautiful gift: music that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time. Nation of Language is a three-piece built around synthesizers, but carrying the raw warmth of punk and the clarity of pop. Since their 2020 debut, they have earned […]
Yankii Romance, Kung Fu Dads, and Cardi B: Staff Picks
Not a film, not anime — but you’ll be up until midnight anyway. Streaming services like Netflix are full of content that defies easy categorization. In this BELONG Media roundtable, we decided to step into that hard-to-talk-about zone on purpose. A dating reality show packed with yankii delinquents, a drama about 51-year-old men channeling their […]
The All-Japan Pillow Fight Championship Is Seriously a Sport
This is a series where BELONG Media staff chat about their everyday experiences and adventures. This time, the topic is nothing less than the “All-Japan Pillow Fight Championship in Ito Onsen” — which Maririn actually entered and competed in! Pillow fighting: once the secret highlight of school trip nights. But did you know it has […]
