REVIEW

The 2025 EP from Tokyo alternative rock / shoegaze band The Florist.

Since announcing their formation in August 2012, the band has steadily refined a darkly romantic sound by blending shoegaze with post-punk, goth, new wave, and emo influences. Across three full-length albums to date, they have continued to shape a distinct aesthetic built on emotional intensity and dense sonic textures. Their activities extend beyond their own releases, including songwriting for shoegaze idol group RAY, as well as arrangement and performance work on the track “Isana” from voice actor Soma Saito’s 2020 solo album in bloom. The current lineup consists of Hiroyuki Imamura (Vo/Gt), Yosuke Shiina (Gt/Cho), Hideyuki Sunaga (Ba/Cho), and Takamitsu Hiruma (Dr).

The title aestheticism refers to the idea that beauty itself holds the highest artistic value. It underscores the band’s pursuit of an idealized form of sonic beauty.

#1 “Sundown” is a heavy shoegaze track steeped in freezing melancholy, where spectral vocals drift through waves of ice-laden guitars. It can be read as The Florist’s response to the contemporary Nu-Gaze continuum from Whirr to Wisp.

#2 “Atlas” stands as the most uptempo track on the EP, where fluid guitar lines and weightless vocals merge into a single luminous flow, tracing a streak across the sky like a shooting star. Its range extends from fans of L’Arc-en-Ciel to listeners of UK rock such as The Cure and Editors.

#3 “Snow Eclipse” unfolds in a cold, atmospheric space where guitars and vocals move in harmonic dialogue, supported by a bassline that adds a glossy, tactile presence. In its mid-track break, the arrangement erupts from the bass foundation into radiant guitar work, evoking the sudden bloom of flowers at thaw. The track stands as a highlight of the EP, defined by intricate instrumental interplay and refined production that gives each layer clear spatial definition.

#4 “Enjoy the Silence” is a cover of the iconic Depeche Mode classic. While retaining the original’s sensual dance-driven groove, it is reinterpreted through a shoegaze lens, filtered through The Florist’s distinctive sensibility and dreamlike sonic aesthetic. The result feels like a meeting point between Depeche Mode and The Cure.

Looking back to their debut EP Middle of Winter (2013), which featured a cover of The Cure’s “Lovesong,” it becomes clear that this aesthetic direction has remained consistent since the band’s early years. Drawing from a wide spectrum of influences while filtering them through the band’s own refined sensibility, the EP reinforces a singular commitment to beauty as its guiding principle, positioning The Florist as enduring practitioners of aestheticism.

Together with longtime collaborators COLLAPSE, they also host the recurring event corpuscular theory of light, inviting artists across genres who share a common aesthetic sensibility beyond shoegaze. This approach reflects the band’s broader alternative ethos. For those interested in experiencing the intensity of their live presence, official updates can be found via their official website or X.