If you’re follower of Homicidols on Twitter (and, if you’re reading this, you almost assuredly are), you may have noticed that ol’ Maniac was at a show the other night. It was Code Orange’s Pittsburgh homecoming, supported by a handful of likewise loud-inclined bands that included another rapidly up-and-coming hardcore unit, Harm’s Way.* It was an exhilarating experience to say the least, and it got me down onto the floor and ultimately all the way into the pit once “The New Reality” started because ARE YOU THE HAMMER OR THE NAAAAAIIIIIIIILLLLL? (I opted to be the hammer). I am old, however, and hardcore pits are nothing to mess around with, so it was not a long sojourn!

It did give me time to be close in, though, and observe and think. I don’t go to as many shows as I used to, so the days of doing things like seeing a really crappy death metal-oriented version of Lamb of God open for GWAR years before they made it big, those days are mostly gone. Still, you never know, maybe one of those opening acts will be the next to emerge from random basements in Oakland to punch the entire world in the mouth,** so it’s worth paying attention.

I like to insert idols into the bill. It’s just a mental game, obviously, as we have not yet progressed to the point where idols either in or coming to the West are regularly doing joint shows with bands.*** But it’s a fun game, matching idol acts with the bands on a bill, imagining how different or like performances might line up well. I like to talk about fantasy booking, getting so-and-so idols together for X, Y and Z events and whatnot, but this little exercise is always my favorite kind of fantasy booking, as it’s also how I imagine creating idol fans out of the whole cloth of basement-dwelling straight edge scene kids.

And I almost always come back to Yukueshirezutsurezure.

You’ve probably seen by now that they’re getting out a new album on August 1, announced per time-honored Codomomental tradition:

[解禁]
群青の皆さま大変長らくお待たせ致しました！

8/1(水)ゆくえしれずつれづれ 2ndフルアルバム「タイトル未定」発売決定です！通常盤・初回限定盤の2種類、初回限定盤には各メンバーのソロ曲も収録されます！他詳細は後日アナウンス致します！https://t.co/pg5nGAgPsZ #ゆくえしれずつれづれ pic.twitter.com/qjsygPQYA1

— ゆくえしれずつれづれ (@yukuetsurezure) June 1, 2018

Tsurezure went through a rough patch, their first real challenge since debuting in the long sunsetting shadows of 2015, when Cococo abruptly announced that she was leaving last year; since, despite replacing the Cubed One, they’ve only had the one single release, which is practically unheard of for an act under their management. That they’re gearing up for a full album in the heat of summer, two years and change since Antino MIdeology, is a neat way to square that circle and get back to face-melting business.

Because it’s always Tsurezure for me. I have my idol favorites, and I have acts that I think would work well in a Western, non-wota context if given a chance to do so, but Tsurezure is part of that short list of acts that would very neatly fulfill the mission statement of Homicidols.com, being the nearest thing to an apotheosis of loud idol that can build bridges and break niches and not have to wink at the camera along the way.

There’s an album. Coming. Soon. I’m praying for it to be as good as I’m already shaping it up to be in my brain. And, with that, I want to be able to see them on foreign stages — not as part of a dedicated Japanese music showcase, not as part of an idol lineup, but as an act that happens to be idol and also happens to be loud and good — doing shows with bands of substance, growling and singing their way into the hearts of people who’d never look their way otherwise.

With this, gods be good

*Funny story: I’ve been listening to Harm’s Way for a while, but I’d never really looked them up, YouTube or otherwise. So when I went to their merch table to get a shirt and CD, I had no idea that I should be prepared to speak to the John Cena-looking dude behind the table. He rang me up, had some trouble with his Square, and was pleasant. About an hour later, he was screaming at me from the stage. It was very cool.
**I recommend looking up Eternal Sleep!
***You know what I mean