Ryokuoushoku Shakai

The Japanese pop/rock band Ryokuoushoku Shakai formed in 2012 in Aichi Prefecture, Hondo. Vocalist Nagaya Haruko, guitarist Kobayashi Issei, bassist Anami Shingo, keyboardist peppe, and drummer Sugie Yasuchika formed the group's initial lineup, with all five musicians appearing on the band's self-titled debut album, Ryokuoushoku Shakai, in 2014. Sugie Yasuchika left the roster one year later, with Ryokuoushoku Shakai rebranding itself as a four-piece group in time for the 2017 EP Nice to Meet You??. A second EP, Adore, was released later that year. After signing with Epic Records Japan, the group made its first appearance on Japan's Oricon chart with Whereabouts of Overflowing Water, which peaked at Number 17 in 2018. One year later, Happiness climbed to Number 13. The Top 40 hit "Sabotage" and the Love's Stoppage Times theme song "Omoibito" followed in 2019, with both songs also appearing on SINGALONG one year later. The band's first full-length album to be released by a major label, SINGALONG climbed all the way to Number 2 on the Japanese charts, aided in part by the gold-selling Top 40 single "Mela!" and the Number 21 hit "Shout Baby." One year after SINGALONG's release, the standalone singles "Litmus" and "Kesshou" were both released, with "Kesshou" becoming the band's first song to break the Top 20. Their fifth album Channel U, which includes "Ienai," was released on February 19, 2025 and charted top 10.