members of the Japanese punk rock band Hi-Standard
Fans of Japanese legendary punk rock band Hi-Standard were shocked when, just last week, the band announced that their 16-year hiatus was coming to an end. And the unexpected announcement came just one day before the band was planning to release a new single: another starting line.
Indeed, on October 5th, 2016, Hi-Standard put out a new single – the first in 16 years. But there was a catch: until October 26 the single would only be available in CD shops throughout Japan. The move – hardly out of character for the band – can be interpreted as a big F-U to streaming music sites like Spotify, which had just launched in Japan less than a week earlier.
It was an attempt to get people back into CD shops and reminisce of the good old days when music was discovered by walking through aisles, talking to staff, of through the listening stations set up inside the shop. However, the band did put out a short teaser version on Youtube (above).
In keeping with tradition, the track is sung entirely in English. And the band has already announced another single, due out in December, as well as a series of tour dates. Locations for the “Good Job Ryan” tour (quaintly named after their record producer Ryan Greene) are currently only taking place in the Tohoku region.
It will be interesting to see if the band can generate the same kind of hype they had in the 1990s. And speaking of the 90s, here’s an old track off their 1997 album Angry Fist.
Like what you hear? You can find more of their music on YouTube. Hi-Standard is also on Twitter and Facebook. And be sure to check out our other Music Monday picks.
