Candye Syrup

Get Exposed to Chemical X: We Go Behind the Scenes of an Idol Debut

/ DAEMON

On a recent winter evening in Japan, an over-reliance on Google Maps had Papermaiden and I well and truly lost in Shibuya. We were attempting to locate the address of a legendary dance studio that currently serves as the rehearsal space for NEO JAPONISM, APOKALIPPPS and other prominent chika idol units. Google insisted that the sought-after place was housed in a building among the side streets off Dogenzaka, but after fruitlessly circling through several alleyways, Papermaiden took over navigation. Soon after, Papermaiden’s efforts in orienteering led us to a single bright, square sign on a towering storefront among the thousands of others lighting the surrounding buildings and marking the target of our search.

Here, on the sidewalks of Shibuya, we met Hiroshi, the manger of the new chika idol unit, Chemical X. Papermaiden and I had been fortunate enough to be invited to attend the group’s rehearsal as the members prepared for their January 20th debut. It was a chilly evening, so the introductions were brisk: we quickly met Yossy, the group’s creator and producer, and members Amemiya R Galaxy, Chiimayu, Aoi Hitotsuki and Maho Setsuna. KILLERMACHINE, we were told, was running a bit late as she was coming from another commitment. After brief greetings, we hurried inside and upstairs to the warmth of the studio.

Continue reading →

SUDDENDEATH is Reborn

/ DAEMON

SENANAN has never done anything conventional. When she told us about her marriage and pregnancy she also announced several active projects that she would be stepping away from. Conspicuously absent was any word about the future of her idol unit SUDDENDEATH.

Now that both SENANAN and Osuzu are back from maternity leave, they are reviving SUDDENDEATH, and they’re bringing the kids.

Their first event will be a “Mom Meeting” at the KRY Cafe in January. Children are welcome!! They also announced a resurrection live in March. I’m not sure if the kids have to stay home for that one. Continue reading →

The Demise of Candye Syrup Is upon Us

/ Homicidol Maniac

This may not be news for you at this point, but now the second iteration of Candye Syrup will be disbanding next month, their last show at IKU’s birthday party:

Homicidols Dot Com reached out for comment and has, as of press time, received none. For what it’s worth, the members have likewise been all but silent on the issue (safe for RTing the above); the only other topic on any of their channels is the show on Saturday. I won’t speculate as to the reasons why this is happening, but one does wonder if this will be the actual end of the project. It didn’t take long to get this version up and running after the original disbanded immediately after their U.S. appearance last year, so odds are that we’ll know future plans (if any) sooner rather than later.

Update! IKU posted quite a bit on this right around the time that I was scheduling:

We’re Going to Be Able to Get the New Candye Syrup Single

/ Homicidol Maniac

Confession! I feel really guilty about being kind of late on this, but fortunately being a step late meant that I could share better, and unconditional, news — in a few days, Candye Syrup will be issuing a new single (well, new.5), I think the first official physical release by the new regime. When this was first shared with me by a very helpful and friendly and no doubt fun-at-parties insider, the record was definitely venue-only, but things changed a little bit shortly thereafter.

Here’s the official announcement:

That’s Senanan’s artwork, btw; KOUICHI on the composition

Continue reading →

Here’s Candye Syrup Putting It All on the Table for Their First Reboot Single

/ Homicidol Maniac / 3 Comments

When we last left Candye Syrup, it was … wow, it was actually a little while ago. That’ll happen when you completely reboot your project, I guess. And of course there was already plenty of material for the group to work with, so no real hurry to absolutely get more songs out there. Take your time, build up the members, keep those fans engaged, and then hit ’em with your best shot.*

But it’s time! The first (digital-only, I think) single from the new Candye Syrup is here and appropriately titled and definitely worth the click:

Continue reading →

Here’s Your All-new New Candye Syrup

/ Homicidol Maniac

Well if this isn’t a pleasant surprise — after graduating all of their original members post a final show right here in the good ol’ USA, Candye Syrup is back. Or, more accurately, a unit called Candye Syrup is back, because these are totally new Candye Syrup members:

Thank you for the English tweets! Continue reading →

Say “Hello” to the Night, and Owaranaide, Yoru

/ DAEMON

“People who like the night hate people”

This is the motto of Owaranaide, Yoru, the new project Sha-Yan asked us to look out for as she was winding up activities with Candye Syrup.

The concept of the group is to convey the conflicting feelings of young women who come to Tokyo and struggle in pursuit of their dreams: the loneliness, excitement, and nostalgia for their hometown while surrounded by the chaos of the city.

They have released the instrumental to their first song on Soundcloud:

I’m intrigued. Continue reading →

Candye Syrup, the Final Interview

/ Homicidol Maniac / 1 Comment

In one of the weirdest honors ever accidentally given to anybody, fate just so happened to twist in a direction by which Candye Syrup’s final-ever media appearance happened in the United States, and in a Homicidols sit-down executed by your friend and mine @DaeMetal

Idols are illusionists. Continue reading →

TFW Idols Have Their Last Lives Abroad: Candye Syrup at SabotenCon

/ Homicidol Maniac

U.S. idol fans on the West Coast are the luckiest of us all, because they’re the ones who get to sweep up the handful of idol lives that trickle across the Pacific. Our man Daemon, hot off the East Meets West Music Fest, hit up SabotenCon over the weekend to connect with Candye Syrup for their last gasp, a remarkable touch of luck.

Candye Syrup, who saw their debut on August 19, 2017 at Shibuya Milkyway in Tokyo, has now held their final performance on August 31 2018, just 377 short days later. The only good thing in this whole wretched mess is that Candye Syrup’s last live was held at Saboten Con in Phoenix, Arizona, so we in the Southwestern U.S. were given the blessed opportunity to send them off.

The crowd that gathered to see Candye Syrup’s last live contained a handful of American chika idol diehards, but was primarily made up of Saboten attendees whose familiarity to the group was watching a few videos on YouTube after hearing they would be performing at the Con. Some had been turned into instant fans on first exposure and were a bit shell-shocked to learn that they would be witnessing both Candye Syrup’s U.S. debut and final show. Continue reading →

Candye Syrup Is the Latest Reminder That Idol Is the Worst

/ Homicidol Maniac / 6 Comments

You’ve probably seen it by now, considering that it completely trumped the BiSH stealth single release+MV yesterday, but, if you were living under a rock, Candye Syrup, new EP on approach and definitely on the rise, is now officially in their death throes, with full-on breakup imminent:

Yes, they’ll (minus one) still be performing in Arizona, though:

And wouldn’t you know it, while the members will be going their separate ways, Iku will be trying again with a new lineup in the near future.

Idol is the worst. Continue reading →