Passepied

In 2009 keyboard virtuoso Haneda Narita, who had graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts, assembled the five-piece indie pop outfit Passepied. The group’s intricate, explosive playing drew equally from seventies pop, new wave, and free jazz while foregrounding Ogoda Natsuki’s piercing lead vocals. Every album sleeve and video clip bore the same spare, elegant designs created by the singer herself, giving the band a strikingly unified visual identity.

Narita had studied piano formally since the age of five and later absorbed the music of Talking Heads and Steely Dan alongside Japanese traditional forms. While still a student and fascinated by impressionist aesthetics, he resolved to start a band that would stand apart from prevailing trends; Ogoda, herself the daughter of a music instructor, shared that vision. Together they recruited guitarist Masahiro Misawa, bassist Yoshikuni Tsuyuzaki, and drummer Takuya Yao. An aura of secrecy—faces were shown only onstage—combined with their distinctive sound to foster a devoted underground audience. Their independently issued 2011 debut mini-album, Watashi Kaika Shitawa (I Was Blossoming), spread rapidly by word of mouth despite minimal publicity, prompting Warner Music to sign the group and issue the follow-up mini-album Onomimono in 2012.

What had begun as a densely layered studio project shifted focus toward live performance when the band prepared its first full-length record. The resulting Enshutsuka Shutsuen (Performance by the Director), released in 2013, sounded noticeably fresher and more immediate, leaving greater space for spontaneity. Critics greeted the album warmly, and that same year major Japanese digital platforms named Passepied among the year’s standout newcomers, further elevating their profile.