REVIEW

The first EP from Osaka-based shoegaze / alternative rock band Sanzameku.

Formed on March 26, 2023, Sanzameku’s debut EP features Pen (guitar/vocals), Akane (guitar), Sima (bass), and yuyA (support drums). While often framed within shoegaze, the band’s sound appears to extend well beyond genre boundaries, weaving together a range of expressive elements into a distinctly dark and emotive aesthetic.

Fragile, delicate passages recall the ethereal qualities of Sigur Rós, while the tension between poetry reading and emotional surges suggests parallels with envy. At times, Pen’s delivery—singing subdued, shadowed emotions in Japanese—may also bring to mind Tsukiko Amano. Rather than settling into conventional shoegaze tropes, these influences intersect to form a highly individual sonic world. The contrast between stillness and eruption is particularly striking, guiding the listener through shifts that feel as expansive as a journey from sunlit grasslands to the depths of a darkened sea.

Central to this dynamic is Pen’s vocal performance. Moving fluidly with the band’s dramatic rises and falls, the vocals range from gentle whispers to piercing, emotionally charged cries that cut through walls of sound. The lyrics, written in Japanese, circle raw emotions such as sorrow, pain, and grief, their nuances heightened by the language’s natural shading and cadence.

Sanzameku – “Karyu Ni Naku” Track-by-Track

#1 “Koubou”
An elegant introduction in which light-filled guitar tones merge with fragile whisper vocals, setting a luminous yet restrained opening mood.

#2 “Zanmei”
Built on a slow, post-rock-like progression, the track gradually increases tension before releasing it in a cathartic surge of beautiful noise.

#3 “=rand(scp)”
Swirling noise collides with a bleak melody, cutting sharply across the listener like a cold blade. The darkest piece on the EP; the title is reportedly read as “Dummy Scape.”

#4 “Ibuki”
A boundary-pushing track driven by tribal rhythms that draws the listener into a trance. The cascading guitar lines are strikingly radiant, approaching something almost sacred in tone.

#5 “Shizuku No Naka No Suisei”
A delicately balanced soundscape on the verge of collapse, underscored by the repeated phrase “I didn’t want to know.” Sudden waves of heavy sound break the calm before receding again, intensifying the song’s sense of longing.

#6 “Fuyuu” (CD-only bonus track)
Featuring Mai Kuroda of Okayama shoegaze band little lamplight, this track showcases lush, heavy shoegaze at its most expansive. The dense textures created by triple guitars and a strong melodic core make a compelling case for the CD edition alone.

Across six tracks, light and darkness, beauty and madness, stillness and motion intersect in constant flux. This EP offers a concentrated expression of Sanzameku’s aesthetic vision. In addition, venue-exclusive demo releases reportedly include several live staples—each worth seeking out for those attending shows.

Following this release, Nagisa Kanzaki officially joined on drums, marking the band’s full-scale launch. True to the meaning of their name—clamor—Sanzameku appears poised to raise a collective voice and energize the Japanese shoegaze landscape.