AstroAttack

01 Pink Mountaintops - North Hollywood Microwaves
02 AstroAttack - Twilight
03 Secret Colours - City Slicker
04 Nothing - Get Well
05 The Courtneys - Lost Boys
06 The Parrots - Dee Dee Dangerous
07 The Death Set - Soar Away
08 Flying Vaginas - Donkey Kong
09 Guided By Voices - Planet Score
10 Mode Moderne - Unburden Yourself - Nacho Ruiz

Never been to Japan? Well in case you were wondering, they rock just as hard as we do here in the States. AstroAttack traveled all the way from Kobe, Japan to perform at this year's CBGB Festival and prove just that to thousands of American music fans. Their sound comprises a mix of shoegaze elements and heavy-hitting guitar riffs that are sure to make your earholes tingle. Check out the track "Searchlights" from their debut self-titled LP and you'll hear exactly what we're talking about. -

Buy a ticket in to any regular week-end, multi-band event at a music venue, and usually the line-up may be a mixed bag. A beginner band, a good band, a band you like, and a band no one likes. Sometimes there is a band you think will be good ~ someday. Sometimes there is a band that you would encourage to keep their day jobs: music may not be in the cards for them. And other times, at other times, you see a band that is so good, with such finely crafted songs and such polished performance, you find yourself asking if a famous band joined the line-up under an alias. Such is the case with AstroAttack.

AstroAttack is an independent band hailing from Kobe Japan, a large port city about 8 hours drive from Tokyo. Stylistically, they mix shoegaze, with a dash of grunge and “alt rock,” and throw in a measure of electronica on the backbone. Band leader Takuro Sugata provides a strong front man, but leaves room for other key players, Mai Kitade with ethereal backing vocals and rhythm guitar and Hideyuki Miyasako with driving and addictive bass lines, to be appreciated as well.

The band is also not content to only play their local region. Having chosen to sing predominately in English, so as to appeal to a wider audience, they decided to book shows in Taiwan as an initial overseas experience and regularly gig in Taipei. Last year, they played in New York City at the CBGB festival, and their plans for 2015/2016 include SXSW or Red Gorilla Festival. A small animation studio in Tokyo is interested in licensing one of their songs for a future anime, as well as peaking interest from a game design company for music.

Now playing once a month in the Tokyo area, in addition to their local area, the audience for the band is growing as they play both larger shows, medium festivals, and regular venue gigs. Definitely a band to watch for on the international scene! - Apryl Peredo