# Kessoku Band (album)

Kessoku Band (Japanese: 結束バンド, Hepburn: Kessoku Bando, lit. 'Unity Band' or 'zip tie') is the debut studio album by Kessoku Band, a fictional rock band from the anime television series Bocchi the Rock!. It was released digitally by Aniplex on December 25, 2022, and physically on CD on December 28. Featuring vocals from voice actresses Yoshino Aoyama, Sayumi Suzushiro, Saku Mizuno, and Ikumi Hasegawa, the album consists of songs featured in the anime series, including a cover version of Asian Kung-Fu Generation's "Rockn' Roll, Morning Light Falls on You", as well as newly recorded material; nine singles preceded the album's physical release.
Kessoku Band received high praise from music critics, who complimented the album's composition and vocal performances. Commercially, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart and the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan.

## Background and release

Kessoku Band is a fictional rock band in the anime television series Bocchi the Rock!, consisting of lead guitarist Hitori Gotō (voiced by Yoshino Aoyama), drummer and leader Nijika Ijichi (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro), bassist Ryō Yamada (voiced by Saku Mizuno), and guitarist and vocalist Ikuyo Kita (voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa). In November 2022, it was announced that the band will release a self-titled album, consisting of 14 tracks including those featured in the anime series. The musicians in charge of Kessoku Band, Osamu Hidai (drums), Yūichi Takama (bass), Akkin [ja] (guitar) and Ritsuo Mitsui (guitar), were selected by music director Gen Okamura through personal connections, with Hasegawa performing the vocals for most of the songs. Mitsui, who also handled the arrangement of 12 tracks in the album, was approached for the project in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The mastering of Kessoku Band was completed a few days before the airing of the anime.
"Secret Base", "I Can't Sing a Love Song", "The Little Sea", and "Flashbacker" are newly recorded songs for the album, while "Rockn' Roll, Morning Light Falls on You" is a cover version of Asian Kung-Fu Generation's song of the same name, and served as the ending theme of the anime's twelfth and final episode. Several Japanese musicians have contributed to the album's songs, such as Ai Higuchi [ja], Otoha [ja], Ikkyū Nakajima of Tricot and Genie High, Maguro Taniguchi [ja] of Kana-Boon, Yūho Kitazawa of the Peggies, Kayoko Kusano [ja], and Zaq.
Nine singles debuted prior to the album's physical release: "Seishun Complex" and "Distortion!!" on October 9, 2022; "Karakara" on October 30; "Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet" on November 6; "That Band" and "What Is Wrong With" on November 27; and "Never Forget", "If I Could Be a Constellation", and "Rockn' Roll, Morning Light Falls on You" on December 25. Kessoku Band was distributed in advance on digital music and streaming platforms on December 25, 2022, before releasing in CD format on December 28. A limited edition of the CD included a Blu-ray containing the opening and ending sequences of the anime series. Kessoku Band performed the album's songs at their Fixed Star concert, held at Zepp Haneda in Tokyo on May 21, 2023. The album was released as a two-disc vinyl LP on December 27, 2023, featuring a new cover art by the anime's character designer Kerorira. In the United States, Milan Records also released the album as a cassette tape on August 16, 2024.

## Critical reception

Kessoku Band was highly praised by music critics. In a review for Mikiki, Shi called the album "a truly exceptional piece of music that does not get stuck in the usual 'anime song style'". The reviewer stated that the album is in the vein of Japanese rock music, and that the "metal-like" lead guitar creates a unique structure that "did not seem to exist at the time of the 2000s and 2010s". Shi praised the vocals, particularly of Hasegawa and Aoyama, and the album's cohesiveness, but described the transition from the beginning to middle as "rough". Tomonori Shiba [ja], writing for Nikkei Marketing Journal, described the music as high-quality and "filled with the essence of Japanese guitar rock from the 2000s onward", which originated in Shimokitazawa, the primary setting of Bocchi the Rock!. Z11 of Real Sound [ja] opined that the album's sound corresponds to the theme of the series; the vocals "give a sense of a world connected to the story" and the texture of the songs evokes the presence of the main characters. At the 2024 CD Shop Awards, the album was a finalist for the Grand Prix award in the Blue category.

## Commercial performance

Kessoku Band debuted at number one on Billboard Japan's Download Albums chart dated December 28, 2022, with 5,877 recorded downloads from December 19–25, and has remained at the top for seven non-consecutive weeks. It also entered atop the Top Albums Sales chart dated January 4, 2023, with 73,244 sales recorded from December 26, 2022, to January 1, 2023. The album opened at number six on the Hot Albums chart dated December 28, 2022, but rose to number one the following week. The album debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart dated January 9, 2023, recording 72,553 sales in its first week. It also topped the Digital Albums Chart (17,756 downloads) and the Combined Albums Chart on the same issue date. Kessoku Band remained at number one in the Digital Albums Chart for four consecutive weeks, marking the first time a female group achieved that record. It ranked in the top 10 of the chart for 25 non-consecutive weeks. In February 2023, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for reaching 100,000 shipments. In June 2024, it was certified platinum for reaching 250,000 shipments.
The album topped Billboard Japan's 2023 year-end Download Albums chart and ranked 11th in the year-end Hot Albums chart. It also topped Oricon's year-end Digital Albums Chart with 70,132 downloads, which is the first time a female group took first place in the ranking.

## Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.

## Personnel

Credits adapted from The First Times and the album's liner notes.

### Fictional line-up

* Ikuyo Kita – vocals, guitar
* Hitori Gotō – lead guitar, lyrics
* Ryō Yamada – bass, backing vocals, composition
* Nijika Ijichi – drums

### Musicians

* Osamu Hidai – drums (all tracks)
* Yūichi Takama – bass (all tracks)
* Akkin [ja] – guitar (all tracks), arrangement (5–6)
* Ritsuo Mitsui – guitar (all tracks), arrangement (1–4, 7–14)
* Ikumi Hasegawa (as Ikuyo Kita) – vocals (tracks 1–7, 9, 11–13), backing vocals
* Yoshino Aoyama (as Hitori Gotō) – vocals (track 14), backing vocals
* Saku Mizuno (as Ryō Yamada) – vocals (track 8), backing vocals
* Sayumi Suzushiro (as Nijika Ijichi) – vocals (track 10), backing vocals

### Technical

* Gen Okamura – director
* Gendam – recording, mixing
* Yūji Kamijō – recording
* Mitsuyasu Abe – mastering
* Masaharu Yamanouchi [ja] – production
* Ken Kobayashi – production cooperation
* Shunsuke Arai – production cooperation
* Naomi Kobayashi – production cooperation
* Yūji Kimura – production cooperation
* Keigo Mikami – production cooperation
* Yōko Shimane – production cooperation
* Kōhei Yamada – production cooperation

### Design

* Kerorira – key frame
* Asuka Yokota – coloring
* Tsubasa Kanamori – photography
* Yasunao Moriyasu – background
* Tomoyuki Uchikoga – product design

## Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for Kessoku Band :
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Japan (RIAJ) | Platinum | 250,000$^^$ |
| Japan Digital | — | 76,336 |
| $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

Release dates and formats for Kessoku Band :
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition(s) | Label |
| Various | December 25, 2022 | Digital downloadstreaming | Standard | Aniplex |
| Japan | December 28, 2022 | CD | Limited | Aniplex |
| Japan | December 27, 2023 | CDvinyl LP | Standard | Aniplex |
| United States | August 16, 2024 | Cassette | Standard | Milan |