Hi-Standard

Formed in 1991, the Japanese punk revival outfit Hi-Standard brought together guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, bassist and vocalist Akihiro Nanba, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. Early the following year the trio established themselves at home with the Toy's Factory Records issue of Growing Up. Fat Wreck Chords founder Fat Mike soon took notice and arranged an American release of the album on his own imprint. Blending irreverence with striking skill, Growing Up earned widespread praise from U.S. critics. The band answered with extensive touring and a series of 7" singles, one of them a split with fellow Fat Wreck Chords act WIZO.

Angry Fist, Hi-Standard’s second studio album, appeared in the summer of 1997. While the group traded the earlier irreverence for biting, sarcastic wit, the sound stayed consistent in its warmth, dexterity, and approachability. The remainder of 1997 and most of 1998 were devoted to U.S. dates alongside NOFX and Jersey. In early 1999 the band returned to Toy's Factory to record their third album, Making the Road, and followed it two years later with the Love Is a Battlefield EP.

Not long after that EP, Hi-Standard declared an indefinite break as each member pursued separate endeavors. The lineup reunited for a single performance in 2011 and again in 2012. Three years later they topped the bill at the Tokyo stop of Fat Wreck Chords’ 25th-anniversary celebration, and in 2017 they issued the four-track Another Starting Line EP—their first new material in fifteen years. On February 14, 2023, drummer Akira Tsuneoka passed away at age 51 following a short illness.