Fearlessness, individuality and positivity: these qualities have turbocharged ATARASHII GAKKO!’s ascent as one of Japan’s most uniquely charismatic groups. While their consistent, uniformed appearance could initially imply consistency and conformism, their moniker, which translates literally to ‘new school leaders’, quickly defies those suggestions. That’s to say nothing of their high-octane stage routines: a blitz of headbanging, breakdancing, dancing with brooms, ponytail-whipping and trapeze moves that quickly obliterates any misconceptions.
And then there’s their intense sound. Making their first records with pianist H Zett M (a common collaborator of J-rock icon Sheena Ringo), ATARASHII GAKKO! initially struck out in the Japanese scene with an aggressive jazz-punk edge, punctuated by Suzuka’s smoky vocals and an often dark, sensual flair. With their artistry and technical choreography, the four proudly stood out from the pack – and over the years, have gone from playing sparsely attended live houses to, in January, Tokyo’s hallowed Budokan arena.
As NME catches them on a Zoom call in their break room, the group are fresh from shows in Asia and Europe and gearing up for their maiden tour of the United States in September, and their biggest tour of Japan after that. “The way that they jump, they scream, they look, they dance, it’s all different,” says Suzuka of audiences abroad, which have flocked to see them at festivals like Coachella, Primavera Sound and Clockenflap. “The energy was so colourful in many ways, compared to Japan, where the crowds move all together as one. There was a lot of power in that.”
“When we think about four of us wearing our uniforms and hopping on these combinations [of genre], we feel invincible” – Suzuka
Not everyone in ATARASHII GAKKO! initially imagined herself as a performer. Suzuka had “wanted to be like Beyoncé” since she was a kid, but Kanon, despite her admiration for J-pop icons like Koda Kumi, originally thought she’d become a teacher. Rin is a swaggering vocalist now, but she was originally only a dancer before joining the group. Lauryn Hill is a constant inspiration and role model, she says, due to her musicality and confident self-expression.
Over their eight years together, Suzuka, Kanon, Rin and Mizyu have grown and evolved in their identities. After all, they have walked a long – at times challenging – path to reach their current moment. “When we began, it felt like a place to gather, like a school club,” Kanon says of the group’s beginnings as middle schoolers. “Since we met, the only thing that hasn’t changed is that we are still tight. I really think of us as forever sisters – whether we’re in the galaxy or the ocean, we can go anywhere as long as we’re four.”
In 2020, ATARASHII GAKKO! took a leap of faith – one that surprised even their fans – and signed with 88rising, the label that’s home to several Asian and Asian-American artists including Rich Brian, NIKI and Joji. It was a move that took them from cult favourites to bona fide worldwide sensations. Since going international, the Leaders have taken on a dazzling array of sounds: fist-pumping J-rock; Jersey club bounce; Showa-style synthpop; experimental hip-hop. “When we think about four of us wearing our uniforms and hopping on these combinations, we feel invincible,” Suzuka says.
“When we think of communicating with the world, we put our spin on all the world’s styles, and head on this unknown road by challenging them,” she adds. In that same vein, ‘AG! Calling’, their first record with their group name in its title, functions like a “big namecard” that “collects all of their powers”, says Rin. Released in June, it’s their first album under 88rising and a work that says hello to international collaborators and audiences: the punky ‘Drama’ welcomes bilingual verses from Thai rapper MILLI, while the surf-tinged ‘Superhuman’ marks their first English-only track.
The sonic diversity on ‘AG! Calling’ brings into focus their evolution too, showcasing their distinct musical personalities. Rin’s snappy verses sound beyond confident on the assertive ‘Omakase’, while ‘Hero Show’’s techno-kayo stylings and retro drum machines make plenty of room for Suzuka’s dramatics. Kanon and Mizyu’s sweet vocals shine on the disco of ‘Forever Sisters’, while highlight ‘Maji Yoroshiku’ frantically switches between colourful vocal lines from all four members, proving ATARASHII GAKKO! still have the nimble chemistry displayed on their early records.
The record’s varied repertoire was built over a three-year span, during which the quartet sharpened their sensibilities with collaborators both stateside and back home. One notable team-up was with Beastie Boys co-conspirator Money Mark, whom the Leaders spent two and a half months recording with in Los Angeles. The naturally excitable group found kindred spirits in Mark, who helped produce the bouncy ‘Pineapple Kryptonite’. “It was like working with a really fun relative, or uncle,” Suzuka recalls. “More than ‘being creative’, we were pushed to ‘create’ playfully, like grade-schoolers. He helped us remember that sense of play and enjoying things freely while creating.”
“I think of us as forever sisters – whether we’re in the galaxy or the ocean, we can go anywhere as long as we are four” – Kanon
‘Pineapple Kryptonite’ – and its remix by techno producer Yohji Igarashi – is now a mainstay of ATARASHII GAKKO!’s electrifying performances. The group have choreographed all their dance routines themselves from day one, but it sounds like the absurd moves to ‘Pineapple Kryptonite’ started out spontaneous: “Before we knew it, I was grabbing Mizyu’s twintails, and somehow a bike entered the picture,” Suzuka laughs.
But ATARASHII GAKKO! also found power and confidence within the chaos. As Igarashi’s throbbing beats ring out on stage, the quartet trade in their uniforms for dashing black gakuran jackets with a statement of intent emblazoned on the back: nippon seishun daihyo – “Japan’s youth representatives”, a title that the group have come to recognise as emblematic of their mission.
Not that it started that way for the group, who are all in their twenties. “We never thought of representing Japan to the world,” says Mizyu. “Rather, we caught onto the phrase because we were once those Japanese youths ourselves.”
“Before we decided on going international, we thought it was just a hilarious inside joke,” Rin adds. She connects the phrase to kotodama, the belief that mystical power can dwell in words and names. “We never really thought we would actually leave the country as representatives of Japan – but it might have been because we kept saying it that we manifested where we are now.”
When considering their growing role as ambassadors of Japanese music and culture, ATARASHII GAKKO! emphasise the singular flavour that the four of them bring to the table. “Rather than ‘spreading Japanese culture’, we think about what interesting things come out when you mix AG! with Japanese culture – as art that’s interesting,” Mizyu says. “From music to our outfits, they all intersect, and in that sense, we might represent the youth of Japan in our own unique way.”
The same goes for ATARASHII GAKKO!’s gleeful, free-spirited approach to genre. “More than holding onto a style, it’s about holding onto the shared feeling we have as a team of four of us,” Rin says. “If we hold onto that, we will feel like AG!. If we can perform with that in mind, it’ll become something that belongs to us.”
With their chameleonic charisma, it can at times be difficult to pin down where ATARASHII GAKKO! will go next in their artistic journey. But there’s something simpler at their core. “I think it’s about energy,” Mizyu says, referencing their album’s anthemic closing track ‘Tokyo Calling’, which was inspired by the capital’s stories of overwork and malaise. “It’s about bringing our positive energy to places filled with uncertainty.”
And ATARASHII GAKKO! are raring to spread their positive vibes far and wide, as their album artwork implies: the quartet leaping together, fearless, into the blue skies. Mizyu concludes: “With ‘AG! Calling’, we want to say that no matter where you are, we will be there!”
ATARASHII GAKKO!’s ‘AG! Calling’ is out now via 88rising. They embark on the next leg of their world tour in September
Listen to ATARASHII GAKKO!’s exclusive playlist to accompany The Cover below on Spotify and here on Apple Music.
Words: JX Soo
Photography: Toshio Ohno
Photography Assistance: Mizuya Yuto, Estel Saito
Styling: masato (fantastic!)
Hair & Makeup: YOUCA
Retouching: Shinji Sato
Production: Shin Ohira
Production Management: Yuma Takeda, Ippei Troy Fukuda
Production: CEKAI
Label: 88rising
