Hanabie. (Japanese: 花冷え。Stylized: HANABIE.) is a Japanese metalcore band from Tokyo, formed in 2015 The band comprises of Yukina (vocals), Matsuri (guitar, vocals), Hettsu (bass) and Chika (drums). They are known for combining loud and heavy music with contrasting Harajuku aesthetics in a style self-described as "Harajuku-core". Their songs incorporate elements of metalcore, hardcore punk, and nu metal, with a blend of hip hop, electronica and J-pop.

The band was formed by four high school friends due to their shared admiration of Maximum the Hormone, as a part of their light music club activities. Initially a cover band, they soon transitioned into writing their own original music, self-producing their first single in 2016. After a period as an independent band, during which they released an album and an EP, they were signed by Epic Records Japan, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan in 2023. In the same year, their second album Reborn Superstar! was released, ranking 24th on Billboard Japan's weekly album charts. The success of the album led to international recognition and appearances a various music festivals outside Japan.

The band name Hanabie. (花冷え。, "chilly spring weather"), is a reference to the birthdays of the four founding members, all of whom were born during either in winter or spring months. The "。" signifies progress and was adopted from the name of another band which the members were fans of during their middle school years.

History

2015–2016: Formation and early years 
Yukina, Matsuri and Hettsu all met while attending the same junior high school, where Yukina and Matsuri became fans of Maximum the Hormone. Hettsu, who was also their close friend, came to know about Maximum the Hormone from them and was initially surprised to find "cute and clear Yukina listens to such indecent songs" but eventually came to like the music herself. Yukina joined the school's music club as they had a Maximum the Hormone cover band along with Matsuri who already played guitar since childhood. They decided to form a Maximum the Hormone cover band, with Matsuri on guitars, Hettsu on bass, Yukina on vocals, they were joined by Kaede on drums. Hettsu said that she picked bass because it was an instrument she hadn't played before while Yukina admitted that she became the vocalist as it was the only role left. They chose the band name Hanabie. (花冷え。, "chilly spring weather", a Japanese word for the spring day on which the coldness of winter returns), because all the founding members were born in either spring or winter months; Matsuri, Hettsu and Kaede were all born in December and Yukina was born in April. The "。" was added to the name by Yukina as she and Hettsu were fans of a band called Cocoa Otoko in middle school.

They soon moved on from covering Maximum the Hormone songs and started writing their own original music. In October 2016 the band released their first songs "Crash Over" and "Sweet Killer". In December 2016, Kaede left the band to focus on her studies.

2017–2019: First mini album, band contests, indie career 

After Kaede's departure, the band continued their activities with various support drummers. They started regularly performing at various live houses around Tokyo. They released their third song "Envy", which was sold exclusively at their live house performances in the form of a demo CD, along with "Crash Over". In July 2017, Boa officially joined the band, she had previously performed with them as a support drummer. In August 2017 they participated in the "School Out" national band competition, whose winner would get a chance to perform in France, they finished as the national runner up. In the same month they started recording "Invisible Wall". In January 2018, they participated in their first three-man live with Oshamegane and Wacality at "Shinjuku Antiknock". In August 2018, the band participated in the Japan Expo Rock contest, and reached the finals, they were the only teenage band to do so. During the contest they were noticed by Crystal Lake drummer Gaku Taura. He offered to record their album at his studio. Taura also encouraged them to continue their band activities as he thought "these kids could make it big in the future". In August 2018, the band announced they would release their first mini album, Cherry Blossoms Are Blooming, on October 17. At the same time, a tour was also announced.

In September 2018, Boa left the band, they continued their live performances with various support drummers. In November 2018, the "Flowering Declaration" release tour started, featuring shows in Shinjuku, Nagano, Osaka, Nagoya, Shizuoka, Kyoto, and Tachikawa. In November 2018, they performed at "Ro Jack for Countdown Japan 18/19". In November 2019, the band's newest single; "L.C.G" was released on digital platform, along with a music video for the song on YouTube.

2020–2022: Girls Reform Manifest and indie success 

In June 2020 they performed at "Ro Jack for Rock in Japan 2020". In August 2020 "Sentimental Heroine" was released on various music streaming services, along with a lyric video on YouTube.

In September 2020 the band announced that Sae, who was active in the local underground scene, would join as the new drummer, in the same month the band released the song "Reiwa Matching Generation". Their first big hit came with the release of "We Love Sweets", the music video was released on YouTube in January 2021, accumulating over a million views. The success of the song led to more invitations to perform at various musical events, as well as increased attendance at the band's shows. They participated in various two-man and three-man show with other indie bands like C-Gate and Oshamagane. Still university students, they continued to performing at live houses, balancing their studies, part-time jobs and recording sessions. They crammed in shows during holidays or whenever the members had time off. In 2021 the band members graduated from university. 

On January 14, 2021, the band released their first full album Girls Reform Manifest. In April 2022, the single "Love♡ Ranbu" was released, followed by the single "Neet Game" in August 2022. They had established themselves in the Tokyo indie scene. Throughout 2022, they performed at various venues across Shimokitazawa, Shibuya, Nagoya and Shinjuku.

2023–present: Reborn Superstar!, international recognition and major record deal 

In January 2023 they release a new single "Pardon Me, I Have to Go Now" (お先に失礼します。). The success of the song attracted the attention of international promoters, and invitations to perform at various prominent music festivals across Europe and America. They were invited to perform at MetalDays, Leyendas del Rock, Dynamo Metalfest, Blue Ridge Rock Festival, Louder than Life, and Aftershock. However, the concert at MetalDays was cancelled after severe rainfall and flooding.

After a period of absence from live performances, it was announced in April 2023 that Sae would be leaving the band due to personal reasons. The band went back to performing with support drummers. In May 2023 they performed at the event "Spring Great Liberation Festival 2023", during the encore of that show, Chika was announced as the band's new drummer. In the same month the band announced their European tour and in June an American tour was announced. In June 2023 they performed at the Japanese music festival Satanic Carnival. During the show, the band announced that they have signed with Epic Records Japan, a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan. Their first album with the new label, Reborn Superstar! was announced at the same time as their record deal, and released on July 26, 2023. In July 2023 the band was featured in the 14th volume of Metal Hammer Japan magazine. In the same month a promotional event "Orihime Who Ran Away" was held in Tokyo. On July 14, 2023, the single "This Is the Year to Be a Gal" (early summer version) was released, along with a music video.

Musical style and influences

Musical style 

Hanabie.'s music can be broadly classified as metalcore albeit with influences from various musical styles.Their tongue-in-cheek lyricism and genre defying compositions is akin to Maximum the Hormone, whom they used to cover in their early days, and the band often incorporates elements from a wide array of genre including hip-hop, hardcore punk, nu metal and electronica. Most of the band's songs have a backdrop of heavy power chord based riffs and feature a breakdown, but usually lack a guitar solo, with "Envy" being the only song to have one. Some of their songs follow non-traditional, non-linear structures with no repeating verse or chorus. Vocals alternate between screaming and cleans. They have been called Bring Me the Horizon-esque by knotfest.com. Metal Hammer magazine has compared their music to Maximum the Hormone, Enter Shikari and Crossfaith.

Songwriting 
Hanabie. songs are mostly written by Matsuri and Yukina. Matsuri is the band's primary composer and is also involved in arrangement. The lyrical theme of each song is made by Yukina based on Matsuri's instrumental demos. Together, Yukina and Matsuri write melodies and lyrics for their respective vocal parts. Hettsu usually only writes the bass lines but has also occasionally written lyrics. Drum sections have been composed by Matsuri during the absence of a permanent drummer. Being the sole guitarist, Matsuri switches between rhythm and lead parts which she loosely writes in a 2:1 ratio. Screaming and clean vocals constitute roughly equal portions of their songs.

Influences 

Yukina cites Maximum the Hormone, A Crowd of Rebellion, Hysteric Panic, and Ellegarden as her influences. Matsuri has stated her musical tastes were influenced by her parents, both of whom are fans of rock and metal music. She cites Maximum the Hormone, Hi-Standard, Hysteric Panic. SiM, and Coldrain as her influences. Hettsu cites anisongs as her biggest influence. Vocaloid, and other electronic music popular on Nico Nico Douga have also been cited as influences by the band members.  All of the members have admitted to being fans of anime and video games, influences of which can be seen in their music, album covers and music videos.

Image 

Harajuku street fashion is an important part of the band's image. The term 'Harajuku-core' (Harajuku fashion + metalcore) has been used by the band to define themselves. The term is often used on their merchandises. The band's stage outfits are mostly inspired by 'Harajuku aesthetics'. Hettsu, the band's bassist, stated during a concert that the band's stage clothes were designed and hand-made by her. Anime imagery has also been frequently used by the band and features on all of their album covers as well as much of their merchandise. Prior to the release of "L.C.G", the band had a more casual dressed-down look similar to 2000s hardcore bands, which was seemingly inspired by bands like Maximum the Hormone.

Members

Current members 
 Yukina – harsh vocals, clean vocals (2015–present)
 Matsuri – guitar, clean vocals (2015–present) 
 Hettsu – bass, backing vocals (2015–present)
 Chika – drums (2023–present)

Past members 
 Kaede – drums (2015–2016)
 Boa – drums (2017–2018)
 Sae – drums (2020–2023)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums 
 Girl's Reform Manifest (2021)
 Reborn Superstar! (2023)

Mini albums 
 Cherry Blossoms Are Blooming (2018)

Singles

Tours

Japan 

 "I've Kept You Waiting! First One-Man Tour for the 8th Anniversary of Our Formation!!" (2023)

Overseas 

 Hanabie. EU Tour (2023)
 Hanabie. US Tour (2023)

See also 
 List of J-pop concerts held outside Asia

References

External links 

Japanese metalcore musical groups
Japanese nu metal musical groups
All-female bands
Musical groups from Tokyo
Musical groups established in 2015
2015 establishments in Japan
Musical quartets
Sony Music Entertainment Japan artists