There’s been no shortage of Kurayamisaka love hereabouts – so much so that I’m just about out of fresh content to post about them – but considering that NME has made good on their hyping of the band early on in the year with a feature English-language interview, I’d dig up a little bit more to go with sharing the article.

It’s a great feature with guitarist Shotaro Shimizu, covering the band’s origins through their songwriting process, growing international profile, their full-length debut kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete, and their complicated relationship with genre pigeonholing – specifically whether or not they are “shoegaze”.

“I barely know anything about shoegaze at all,” Shimizu admits. While he embraces whatever labels listeners throw at them, the virality and debate are still on his mind. Asked about other cult bands that also found breakthroughs online, Shimizu is more sincere than self-absorbed. “Panchiko probably wanted to sell more when they first began, and Parannoul, of course, began with anonymity – but I’m sure they didn’t end up wanting to be received as a meme,” he says. “I’m sure they formed because they were determined to put out something that was even better.”

Kurayamisaka tell stories with sincere, blown-out bliss from Japan’s spirited underground @ NME

And if you’re willing to brave the Google Translate, there was a feature interview with the band at Japanese news site Natalie back in September

Kurayamisaka : インタビュー｜新鋭オルタナバンドが作り出す衝撃サウンド @ natalie.mu

For eyeball-earball content that transcends language (sort of), we’ll go back almost one year exactly to last December when the band opened up for Regal Lily at the massive Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo. Buzz aside, they’re not at that level yet – a look at their tour dates for 2026 shows them still playing rooms between 600 and 1000 capacity – but seeing the intensity of their live shows alongside the sheer greatness of their songwriting, it’s hard to believe they won’t be there soon enough.

Here’s what was likely the opening to their set, with the double-shot of “Theme” and “Cinema Paradiso” from their 2022 debut EP Kimi Wo Omotte Iru.

And because I love (and learn from) these guitar cover videos, here’s a couple playthroughs covering different guitar parts.