Hikicomo Teikoku, New Single, Various

/ Homicidol Maniac

It is incumbent upon those of us who like to follow newly emerged loudol acts to continuously follow those newly emerged loudol acts. Some make it easier than others, yes, and there are always plenty whose inevitable two-months-later demise elicits the “Oh no! Anyway” meme more than any actual upset, but I think it’s necessary for a person in my exalted position to routinely revisit the promising newbies, try to drive some energy their way, bolster the ol’ get-up-and-go, you know?

So, among my personal favorite 2020 debuts that I was kind of late to the party on we have Hikicomo Teikoku, the shut-in idols whose very existence is so meta that I can barely stand it. They have a new single, obviously, or rather did two weeks ago, but I haven’t done a thing yet to make you all want to hear it or potentially later buy it from them, so let’s talk about it, and also check in more while we’re at it!

The single is called “SKIN” and you can get it from your very own favorite streamer, or, like, just press play:

What an interesting song! I needed a couple of listens to feel like I got it, and maybe that’s the point. It’s not earth-shattering or anything, obviously, but the composition (especially in the back half) is perfectly solid, and then that neat little digital breakdown (including guitar solo!) is worth the price of admission all on its own. Really helps to drive the mood. And let me say, considering how much I’ve compared favorite things in idol to various 90s rock artists, this one has a lot of early Aughts energy, like I can almost see it getting play among the Evanescence crowd. It’s fun!

In other news, Hikicomo Teikoku participated in this … thing I don’t know how to explain well but it’s about the hikikomori experience!

Also they have a one-man coming up in a few weeks: