A Friend of Homicidols™ is a friend indeed, a wise person once said. N.FENI may no longer be identifying as the charming human named Yoneko, (or even Kanra) and may no longer subscribe to the occasionally limiting genre classification of “idol”, but they’re absolute royalty in our eyes, and we want to do anything for them.
The belief is simple really: If you emerged from one of the most seminal chika units of all time, and you continue a music career that’s going to create music this outstanding, then yeah, we’re right there with you!
Yoneko is continuing to explore her post-idol growth as an indie-singer-songwriter, and it’s been rewarding for the rest of us to watch her evolution. Over the last several months, I’ve found her her to be consistently surprising and engaging with her rather prolific output. She’s worn quite a few hats already, at times being a quirky indie popper, and lo-fi rocker, and a one-woman bedroom pop wunderkind in the making.
And like clockwork, the one-time raven has crafted yet another new song and an MV to go with it! It’s been up for a couple of days now, so maybe you’ve seen it already, but if not, you really should…
It’s highly likely that what I’m sharing with you here is something that you already know, but for the sake of posterity and because we want her to have nice things and not at all because Derek asked nicely, I here am following up on Brian’s lovely review of YONEKO’s excellent new single with the fully fledged real-deal MV for it.
Just, like, definitely go read the review and then come back, fully prepared mentally and physically, for this assault of awesome:
Wait for it …
Why make more of it? The young woman is talented and creative as hell. We love her, you love her — now take this and go make a bunch of other people who’ve never even heard of her before love her, too.
Well, I guess the fact that YONEKO is now officially moving into the post-idol phase of her career (apparently in all projects?), so technically this is the last we’ll post about her in a dedicated way, but that’s nonsense and of course we’ll keep the updates coming, YONEKO occupies a special place for us and it doesn’t matter how or when or why she performs, we’ll be there.
Aside from the massive paychecks we receive as members of Team Homicidols, we occasionally have some other nifty perks that come our way! In particular is this instance where we were honored with a bonafide press-release (Very kindly provided by a certain western dealer of chika goods whose name rhymes with Erik. Thanks!) that allowed the Team to have a look at the MV for Yoneko‘s new single, a fiery tune called “SET FIRE TO NOW”! *
Please understand that this MV isn’t going to be unveiled until the 22nd, so sorry, I don’t get show it to you or anything, but I can sure as heck tell you about the song, and believe me, I’m very, very eager to talk about it!!
It’s always a good day when Yoneko releases a new music video!
Wait, does this even count as a music video? Sure, there’s video and music, but does it really count if it’s just the same visual over and over again? Answers on a postcard, please.
It’s backwards week here at Slodicimoh where lot’s of newbies (and Sari) made the front page while the A-listers are populating the weekender. Also, don’t forget that the Friday Fun is never limited to Fridays… you can join in at any time!
First up, the best news in for-freaking ever: Honoka will return to performing with Minna no Kodomochan at their tour final on 8/29.
Miss iD, the annual “not a beauty pageant or freak show”, recently announced their semifinal field of 158 girls-at-heart (age ranges from teens to 30s). Familiar faces currently competing for the Miss iD2020 Grand Prix title include chika idols:
YONEKO(current soloist, former Bellring Girls Heart and MIGMA SHELTER)
To vote for a semifinalist you will need to download the Cheerz Fan Community app. The app is fairly intuitive to use and the search function works with Romaji so you can find who you are looking for pretty easily. Continue reading →
Does Yoneko ever stop and take a break? Apparently not, because she’s released yet another new, self-composed song and music video to commemorate today’s transition from Heisei to Reiwa era. Directed by Kai, of all people, in the first in what I hope will be many collaborations by ex-Bellrings who jumped to Trash-Up records.
The song itself reminds me of Bellring gone lo-fi. And the music video fits pretty well, matching both Yoneko and Kai’s recent forays into retraux aesthetic. I’m not going to lie, through about half of the song I was expecting a sudden burst of clear vocals and thrashing guitars at each break, but nope, she sticks to the quiet, fuzzy audio quality for the entire track. But after I got used to it, I really began to appreciate the simplicity of one girl and her electric guitar. Would I say this was a good tribute to the ending Heisei era? I’m not really well-versed enough in Japanese culture to know for sure. But it’s a quality, chill, lazy-day track that I could easily imagine myself listening to alone in the garden on a sunny day, or in my bedroom on a late night, and that’s good enough for me.
Now, where’s that Kanra/Kai/Mizuho reunion single we all want?
Well dang, you guys. Tell me if you saw this coming: Minna no Kodomo-chan not only making a return to the Corenament final, but absolute dismantling every opponent foolish enough to step into their path along the way; opposite them, the little weirdo that could, a giantslayer if ever there was one in this event, former dog bite victim and Homicidols Dot Com interview subject YONEKO. I usually have a low-key private rooting interest when we do these things (and am often disappoint!), but this time I find myself in the position of an over-proud parent. Hell, I’ve been that way through the entire Final Four!
This one’s for all the marbles*, gang. A culmination of victories large and small can only be a perfect synthesis. New-school loud idols against an established performer doing new things, the defending champs against a sentimental upstart. It’s poetry, I tell you. Now let’s settle it for good and all: Continue reading →
