VMJ

kein | delusional inflammation (EP)
2025-06-09
kein | delusional inflammation (EP)
RELEASE DATE: July 9th (2025)

Japanese rock band kein have announced the release of their anticipated second major-label EP, titled delusional inflammation, set to drop on July 9, 2025. The new release will feature five brand-new tracks, continuing the band’s dark, radical sonic aesthetic that has enchanted fans since their last EP, PARADOXON DOLORIS. The EP’s evocative title—named by vocalist Maco—a phrase that hints at the band’s complex emotional landscapes and layered conceptual themes. As with their previous work, each of the five tracks was written specifically for this release, drawing on the diverse musical experiences of its members, who have roots in influential acts like lynch., deadman, and 101A.
More info coming up…
TRACKLIST:
01. Ono to hatsukoi [斧と初恋]（lyrics : Maco / music : Yuki）
02. Ensou [幻想]（lyrics : Maco / music : Reo）
03. Kikagaku Moyou [幾何学模様]（lyrics : Maco / music : aie）
04. Hare Renochiame [晴レノチアメ]（lyrics : Maco / music : aie）
05. Hajou [波状]（lyrics :Maco/ music : Yuki）
–––Blu-ray–––
01. Hajou「波状」Music Video
02.Hajou 「波状」MV Making Of
ARTWORK:

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lynch. | THE AVOIDED SUN / SHADOWS (album)
2025-09-24
lynch. | THE AVOIDED SUN / SHADOWS (album)
RELEASE DATE: Sept. 24th (2025)
RECORD COMPANY: KING RECORDS

lynch. announces second retake album as part of 20th anniversary project
Still riding the momentum of their 20th anniversary celebrations, lynch. is set to revisit another defining chapter of their early discography. The band will release a second retake album, THE AVOIDED SUN / SHADOWS, on September 24th, continuing their journey of reimagining foundational works with modern sensibilities. The announcement came during the tour final at Spotify O-EAST on June 20, unveiling this re-recorded release as Act 8 of 10 in the ongoing lynch. 20th ANNIVERSARY PROJECT — a yearlong series of live and studio activities marking two decades of the band’s career. Following the blueprint of their first retake release, GREEDY DEAD SOUL / UNDERNEATH THE SKIN, this new edition focuses on the second half of their indie-era catalog, offering updated versions of tracks that helped shape lynch.’s early identity. The limited edition package includes four discs, making it a must-have for long-time fans and new listeners eager to discover the roots of lynch. through a modern lens. Interview coming up soon…
TRACKLIST:
CD 1 – THE AVOIDED SUN
01. LIBERATION CHORD
02. I’M SICK, B’CUZ LUV U.
03. ROARING IN THE DARK
04. ECDYSIS
05. FORGIVEN
06. ANEMONE
07. THE UNIVERSE
08. ENEMY
09. PROMINENCE
10. FROM THE END
CD 2 – SHADOWS
01. LAST NITE
02. ADORE
03. MAZE
04. EVILLY
05. I DON’T KNOW WHERE I AM
06. AMBIVALENT IDEAL
07. THE BLASTED BACK BONE
08. SHADOWZ
09. CULTIC MY EXECUTION
10. MARROW
CD 3 – BRINGER
01. BRINGER
02. AN ILLUSION
03. DOZE
04. A GLEAM IN EYE
05. ALL THIS I’LL GIVE YOU
06. JUDGEMENT
Blu-ray
BRINGER Music Video
BRINGER Music Video Making
MUSIC VIDEO:
BRINGER

PURCHASE:
CD Japan: THE AVOIDED SUN / SHADOWS [3CD+Blu-ray / Limited Release] / lynch.
ARTWORK:

⩺ OFFICIAL WEBSITE | HERE
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INORAN | Niraikanai -Rerecorded- (album)
2025-09-24
INORAN | Niraikanai -Rerecorded- (album)
RELEASE DATE: Sept. 24th (2025)
RECORD COMPANY: KING RECORDS

INORAN announces Niraikanai – Rerecorded
INORAN — rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the legendary band LUNA SEA — will release his new album Niraikanai -Rerecorded on September 24th, 2025. First released in 2007, Niraikanai has long been regarded as one of INORAN’s defining solo works. Inspired by the landscapes and spirit of Okinawa (Japan), the album carried a unique atmosphere that resonated deeply with fans. Now, nearly two decades later, INORAN revisits the album in its entirety, bringing a fresh energy while preserving the soul of the original. Reuniting with long-time collaborators u:zo (bass) and Ryo Yamagata (drums), he has reconstructed the record with new arrangements that highlight his forward-looking mindset. More than a nostalgic project, Niraikanai -Rerecorded represents transformation: a way of returning to the past in order to move boldly toward the future. This new release not only reconnects him with his roots but also affirms his place as an artist who never stops climbing new peaks. Interview coming up soon!
PURCHASE:
CD Japan: Niraikanai -Rerecorded- / INORAN
TRACKLIST:
01. Determine
02. Unstoppable
03. Diffused reflection
04. Walk along
05. Cloudiness
06. Toki no Iro
07. Anything
08. I miss you
09. Discuss
10. Sonzai no Kakera
MUSIC VIDEO:
Determine (Niraikanai – Rerecorded)

MORE INFO:
KING RECORDS
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Ashes and Diamonds | Are Forever (album)
2025-10-31
Ashes and Diamonds | Are Forever (album)
RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1st (2025)
RECORD COMPANY: Cleopatra Records

Ashes and Diamond: Are Forever | Sarcastic, sensual and soulful. An organic and textured album where hierarchy fades and all three musicians shine as one.
Daniel Ash has never been one to sit still and look backward. From the spectral shadows of Bauhaus to the psychedelic pulse of Love and Rockets, he’s built a career on reinvention. With Ashes and Diamonds, his collaboration with Paul Denman and Bruce Smith, he sounds newly reborn. “It’s like being nineteen again” he says — and Are Forever, seven years in the making and recorded twice from scratch, proves it. When the band scrapped their first completed version and decided to start again, it wasn’t a mistake — it was liberation, a blessing. Ten days at Johnny Depp’s Hollywood studio gave them what remote recording couldn’t: depth, warmth and chemistry. In that small, smoke-scented room, everything snapped into place. Daniel Ash rediscovered his passion for guitar after plugging into a found Fender Hot Rod amp — its tone became the album’s emotional core. The result feels organic and connected. It breathes like a live band in one room, not files stitched together across borders.
The record opens with Hollywood, where sirens melt into a narcotic haze. Trip-hop tension and muted glamour swirl together, blurring the line between dream and decay. It’s a hypnotic descent into the city’s restless heart, Daniel Ash’s voice gliding between confession and detachment. Teenage Robots takes that theme further, a sleek, electronic lament for a world drowning in connection but starving for contact. Its rhythm pulses like circuitry, but the ache beneath is entirely human. Then comes On a Rocka, the album’s surge of blood and laughter, a glam-fueled anthem of speed, release, and reckless joy. The guitars roar like engines; it’s a celebration of freedom for freedom’s sake. On shifts the mood inward. Minimal, sensual and spectral, it whispers rather than shouts, a study in restraint where silence becomes its own rhythm. Boy or Girl follows with playful seduction. Written years ago, it now resonates with new cultural meaning, exploring identity without ever naming it. “We didn’t want it to be political but it’s open for interpretation” — Daniel Ash said. The result is irresistible: teasing, tender, and slyly subversive. The A Listers turns satire into atmosphere, a smoky night song about vanity and self-performance, half smirk, half sigh. Plastic Fantastic, a song that sparkles with irony and sunlight, a tongue-in-cheek ode to our obsession with surfaces. Unexpectedly bright, buoyant and pop. Daniel Ash sings in the purest sense, not whispering, snarling or narrating. There’s warmth in the phrasing.
Then the light fades. Ice Queen is narrated. The song was recorded “drunk on vodka” is icy and somewhat cinematographic. It’s the sound of someone letting go while pretending not to. Setting Yourself Up to Love plays like a confession caught mid-transformation. What begins as mechanical and monochrome suddenly erupts into color, mirroring the lyric’s push and pull between desire and fear. “Many want love but bolt when it arrives” — Daniel Ash said — and here that tension blooms into melody. Alien Love steps fully into dream. It’s haunting and hypnotic, a slow-burn reverie that feels scary and tender. Its pulse sways like something suspended. It’s fantasy on the surface — a lone figure meeting a visitor from another world, but beneath the humor lies a deep yearning for connection untouched by cynicism. Champagne Charlie, a portrait of someone who seems to have it all while feeling nothing inside, it’s Daniel Ash at his most candid. The song glows with late-night melancholy, elegance cracked by truth. Finally, 2020 closes the album with beautiful grace, a requiem for isolation. “I actually loved the solitude” — Daniel Ash told us, “but I saw what the pandemic did to other people.” Its slow build feels like dawn after a long blackout, fragile, luminous, and cleansing.
Through it all, Bruce Smith’s intricate beats and Paul Denman’s fluid bass form the gravity that anchors Daniel Ash’s voice and guitar. There’s no hierarchy here — every element burns at the same intensity. That balance is what makes Are Forever such a rare achievement: warm, organic and alive. Co-mixed by Robert Stevenson, the sound breathes rather than gleams. At its core, Are Forever is an album about time, how it corrodes, renews, and ultimately reveals. It’s about second chances, and the courage to dismantle something beautiful in order to make it real. Sarcastic, sensual and soulful, it encapsulates three veterans daring to feel excited like teenagers again. Are Forever is an excellent album from start to finish. Highly recommended, go get your copy now!
⩺ INTERVIEW | HERE
__________________
Mandah FRÉNOT
(c) VMJ
TRACKLIST:
01. Hollywood
02. Teenage Robots
03. On a Rocka
04. On
05. Boy or Girl
06. The A Listers
07. Plastic fantastic
08. Ice Queen
09. Setting yourself up for love
10. Alien Love
11. Champagne Charlie
12. 2020

MUSIC VIDEOS:

PURCHASE:
Cleopatra Records | SHOP
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Lucy | ROCKAROLLICA III (album)
2026-04-23
Lucy | ROCKAROLLICA III (album)
RELEASE DATE: April 23rd (2026)
RECORD COMPANY: Victor Entertainment

Lucy is back after 20 years of silence!
The powerhouse trio, featuring Hisashi Imai (BUCK-TICK), Kiyoshi (hide with Spread Beaver), and Katsushige Okazaki (M-AGE) has officially announced their long-awaited resurrection. The band is currently in the studio recording their third album, staying true to their signature sound. Fans can look forward to a Limited First Press Edition, which features a bonus disc with brand-new footage. A teaser video is already available on their official social media channels. The reunion features a new visual illustrated by Shou Tajima, the artist behind the manga Multiple Personality Detective Psycho. This is a special tribute to the band’s history, as their name was inspired by the character Lucy Monostone from Tajima’s work.
To celebrate the reunion, Lucy will re-release their first two albums, ROCKAROLLICA (2004) and ROCKAROLLICA II (2006), on April 10th, 2026. These limited reissues feature 2026 remastering and iconic Digipak artwork by designer Ken Sakaguchi; pre-orders are available now.
The band is also set to return to the stage with their first tour in two decades: Lucy Show 003 ～Shout, Speed, Shake Your Rockarollica～. The tour kicks off at SUPERNOVA KAWASAKI and concludes with a grand finale at EX THEATER ROPPONGI, spanning nine performances across eight cities in Japan from April 26 to May 24.
Further information will be added as it becomes available.
─────────────
Mandah FRÉNOT
(c) VMJ
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