Kessoku Band (album)

Kessoku Band is a fictional rock band in the anime television series Bocchi the Rock!, consisting of lead guitarist Hitori Gotō (voiced by Yoshino Aoyama), drummer and leader Nijika Ijichi (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro), bassist Ryō Yamada (voiced by Saku Mizuno), and guitarist and vocalist Ikuyo Kita (voiced by Ikumi Hasegawa).^[3][4] In November 2022, it was announced that the band will release a self-titled album, consisting of 14 tracks including those featured in the anime series.^[5] The musicians in charge of Kessoku Band, drummer Osamu Hidai, bassist Yūichi Takama, and guitarists Akkin [ja] and Ritsuo Mitsui, were selected by music director Gen Okamura through personal connections, with Hasegawa performing the vocals for most of the songs.^[6] Mitsui, who also handled the arrangement of 12 tracks in the album,^[6] was approached for the project in early 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7] The mastering of Kessoku Band was completed a few days before the airing of the anime.^[7]

"Secret Base", "I Can't Sing a Love Song", "The Little Sea", and "Flashbacker" are newly recorded songs for the album, while "Rockn' Roll, Morning Light Falls on You" is a cover version of Asian Kung-Fu Generation's song of the same name, and served as the ending theme of the anime's twelfth and final episode.^[8] Several Japanese musicians have contributed to the album's songs, such as Ai Higuchi [ja], Otoha [ja], Ikkyū Nakajima of Tricot and Genie High, Maguro Taniguchi [ja] of Kana-Boon, Yūho Kitazawa of the Peggies, Kayoko Kusano [ja], and Zaq.^[9]

Nine singles debuted prior to the album's physical release: "Seishun Complex" and "Distortion!!" on October 9, 2022;^[10] "Karakara" on October 30;^[11] "Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet" on November 6;^[12] "That Band" and "What Is Wrong With" on November 27;^[13] and "Never Forget", "If I Could Be a Constellation", and "Rockn' Roll, Morning Light Falls on You" on December 25.^[14][15] Kessoku Band was distributed in advance on digital music and streaming platforms on December 25, 2022, before releasing in CD format on December 28.^[16] A limited edition of the CD included a Blu-ray containing the opening and ending sequences of the anime series.^[17] Kessoku Band performed the album's songs at their Fixed Star concert, held at Zepp Haneda in Tokyo on May 21, 2023.^[18] The album was released as a two-disc vinyl LP on December 27, 2023, featuring a new cover art by the anime's character designer Kerorira.^[19] In the United States, Milan Records also released the album as a cassette tape on August 16, 2024.^[20][21]

Kessoku Band was highly praised by music critics.^[22] Tomomi Yonemura of Kai-You [ja] noted that the album incorporating elements of Japanese rock music and the lyrics being faithful to the characters' setting received favorable reception.^[23] In a review for Mikiki, Shinichirō Wada called the album "a truly exceptional piece of music that does not get stuck in the usual 'anime song style'", adding that the "metal-like" lead guitar creates a unique structure that "did not seem to exist at the time of the 2000s and 2010s". Wada also praised the vocals, particularly of Hasegawa and Aoyama, and the album's cohesiveness, but described the transition from the beginning to middle as "rough".^[24] Tomonori Shiba [ja], writing for Nikkei Marketing Journal, described the music as high-quality and "filled with the essence of Japanese guitar rock from the 2000s onward", which originated in Shimokitazawa, the primary setting of Bocchi the Rock!.^[25] Z11 of Real Sound [ja] opined that the album's sound corresponds to the theme of the series; the vocals "give a sense of a world connected to the story" and the texture of the songs evokes the presence of the main characters.^[26] At the 2024 CD Shop Awards, the album was a finalist for the Grand Prix award in the Blue category.^[27]

Kessoku Band debuted at number one on Billboard Japan's Download Albums chart dated December 28, 2022, with 5,877 recorded downloads from December 19–25,^[28] and has remained at the top for seven non-consecutive weeks.^[29] It also entered atop the Top Albums Sales chart dated January 4, 2023, with 73,244 sales recorded from December 26, 2022, to January 1, 2023.^[30] The album opened at number six on the Hot Albums chart dated December 28, 2022, but rose to number one the following week.^[31][32] The album debuted atop the Oricon Albums Chart dated January 9, 2023, recording 72,553 sales in its first week. It also topped the Digital Albums Chart (17,756 downloads) and the Combined Albums Chart on the same issue date.^[33][34] Kessoku Band remained at number one in the Digital Albums Chart for four consecutive weeks, marking the first time a female group achieved that record.^[35] It ranked in the top 10 of the chart for 25 non-consecutive weeks.^[36] In February 2023, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for reaching 100,000 shipments.^[37] In June 2024, it was certified platinum for reaching 250,000 shipments.^[38]

The album topped Billboard Japan's 2023 year-end Download Albums chart and ranked 11th in the year-end Hot Albums chart.^[39] It also topped Oricon's year-end Digital Albums Chart with 70,132 downloads, which is the first time a female group took first place in the ranking.^[36]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[1]

Credits adapted from The First Times and the album's liner notes.^[4][1]

• List of Oricon number-one albums of 2023
• List of Billboard Japan Hot Albums number ones of 2023