In the land of J-pop, The fin has established itself as Japan’s ‘it’ band. In six years, the indie quartet has gone from self-releasing tracks on soundcloud to signing deals with UK labels and touring the world, impressing at the taste-making South by Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas and elsewhere.
"South by Southwest was a crazy adventure," frontman Yuto Uchino says. "We were all super nervous because there were a lot of people and media. When we kicked into our first song, we felt great and just decided to go for it. I think we got many new fans afterwards.”
With a sound that blends synth-pop, chillwave and dreampop, The fin has managed to stand out in Japan’s overcrowded music scene. Uchino credits the group’s early goal of "playing all over the world" for their ascent.
"In Tokyo, there are already thousands of bands so it’s really difficult to stick out. We really wanted to establish ourselves as a band and not just a Japanese band,” he explains.
While they may have started out as a cover band of The Strokes, the group has found its muse in 60s psychedelic pop while adding more “new wave and fresh sounds” inspired by contemporaries like Beach House and Tame Impala.
"We get inspired touring other countries," Uchino adds. "We meet new people, listen to new bands and take back all these experiences into our music. There’s quite a lot of elements in our music right now that come from playing abroad."
With tours of Europe, Asia and America to their name, The fin’s music is also growing. Last year’s, Through the Deep EP was their most praised yet and Uchino credits as it as a turning point for the band.
"This time, all of our members put something in this album," he says. "We used some new gear to record and it was probably our first album that was well produced. We are building on that when we are writing new songs."
Uchino admits the group’s ascension to larger stages have impacted their songwriting. "We've learned that we can create a much bigger live sound when venues allow it,” he says. “There might be just a little bit more synths in our music on our next releases.”
He’s excited about the group’s upcoming mini-tour of China. Noting that their last appearance was as one of many acts in a Shanghai shoegaze festival, Uchino promises the group will debut a couple of new songs when they visit Shanghai (Mar 3 @ MAO Livehouse) and Beijing (Mar 4 @ Yugong Yishan).
"It’s always great to try out some songs live first before going into the studio," he says. "We are pretty happy with the songs and feel that they work well live. By playing them, we will take the live experience into our new album.”
Uchino promises the group will focus on their next release following the China tour and that "most of these songs are ready." While they’re planning to "really focus on Europe after the summer," the singer is equally excited about growing indie scenes closer to home.
"When we did our last Asian tour we sold out almost every venue in every country," he says. "This was so amazing to see."
"I believe that countries like Thailand, Vietnam and China are the next big thing! I do believe that Asia will grow as a scene in general and if these scenes could all get connected, Asia will be such a great place to play."
Shanghai: Mar 3, 9pm, RMB120-150. MAO Livehouse, see event listing.
Beijing: Mar 4, 9pm, RMB120-150. Yugong Yishan, see event listing.
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