Lamp

Inspired by diverse genres like Shibuya-kei, bossa nova, jazz, and indie pop, Lamp is a Japanese band formed in 2000. The group's three members — Taiyo Someya, Yusuke Nagai, and Kaori Sakakibara — spent several years crafting their unique sound before releasing Lamp's debut album, Soyokaze Apartment Room 201, in April 2003. In keeping with Lamp's tradition of seeking out unconventional sources for inspiration, the record's lyrics were inspired by the work of the Japanese cartoonist Yoshiharu Tsuge. A second full-length record, For Lovers, followed in 2004, with Komorebi Dori Nite arriving one year later in 2005. Lamp's fourth studio LP, Lamp Genso, was released in 2008, followed by a long line of musically complex albums that included The Poetry Of August (2010), Tokyo Utopia Correspondence (2011), Yume (2014), Her Watch (2018), and Stardust in Blue (2020). In addition to the band's work in the studio, Lamp also toured heavily, as heard on the the group's first live album, A Distant Shore Asia Tour 2018. In 2023, Lamp reached number 76 on the Top 100 Albums chart in Japan with Dusk To Dawn, the group's tenth studio album in twice as many years.