Yojiro Noda, frontman for the much acclaimed Japanese rock band RADWIMPS, is excited to release his first solo album ‘WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB’.
Noda shares, “A beatmaker named HOLLY sent me a bunch of beats over Instagram. I didn’t really have time to listen to them at first but when I did, there were tons of interesting ideas so I asked him to send me the stems of a particular track, which he immediately responded.”
Despite already juggling multiple projects, including creating new songs for RADWIMPS and acting, when Noda finally found time to experiment with the sound, he added his own touch, saying,“I added vocals and so on. I never intended to make an album at the start. It was more experimental.”
This led to the birth of ‘WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB,’ the first solo album by Noda. While his nearly 25 years with one of Japan’s most popular rock bands provided him with invaluable experience, this album allows him to explore sonic territory he’s never approached before, embracing elements of hip-hop and “hyperpop”. Besides pushing personal music boundaries, Noda also allows his lyrics to become more intimate and vulnerable, offering a glance into his emotional interior.
‘WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB’ marks a new starting point for Noda’s solo artistic endeavours. It’s a chance for him to play around with sound and present an intimate side to his writing, yet it’s ultimately a continuation of what he’s been doing his entire career.
The album is a collection of Yojiro’s personal stories boasting a total of 13 tracks including previously released “EVERGREEN feat. kZm,” “LAST LOVE LETTER” and “PAIN KILLER” as well as “KATATOKI,” a collab song with American rapper J.I.D featured on the game ‘Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name.’
“I want to keep focusing on making my music, from my heart. I believe I can bump into something way beyond my imagination,” he says. “That’s what I’ve done and learned over the last 20 years, and I’m going to keep doing that and see what happens.”
The album is also available in a Limited Edition CD comes with a T-shirt featuring an original character AKUMU-KUN by the manga artist and illustrator Posuka Demizu, best known as the author of ‘The Promised Neverland.’ Originated from Yojiro’s idea to express his solo project with an icon that can freely embody his music, through numerous exchanges of ideas between Posuka Demizu and Yojiro, the one-and-only AKUMU-KUN came to life as a universal and invincible character based on the image of Yojiro as a model.
To celebrate the launch, Yojiro Noda will be performing at Tokyo Garden Theater on September 27 with special guests kZm, Awch, and iri, giving fans a live experience of ‘WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB’.
