BUMP OF CHICKEN

Bump of Chicken are a Japanese alternative rock band from Sakura, Chiba Prefecture. Founded in 1994 by childhood friends Motoo Fujiwara (vocals), Hiroaki Masukawa (guitar), Yoshifumi Naoi (bass), and Hideo Masu (drums), the group’s studio debut Flame Vein came out in 1999 via High Line Records. After dropping their sophomore effort The Living Dead in 2000, Bump of Chicken earned their first Number 1 record in 2002 with Jupiter, which included the Top 5 single "Tentai Kansoku" (2001).  Yggdrasil, their fourth studio album, hit the shelves in 2004 and quickly rose to the top of the Oricon charts while Orbital Period (2007) peaked at Number 2. What ensued was an impressive streak of Number 1 albums that started with 2010’s Cosmonaut and continued throughout the rest of the 2010s with Ray (2014), Butterflies (2016), and Aurora Arc (2019). In 2020, Bump of Chicken dropped the standalone single "Acacia/Gravity" (2020) followed by "Flare and Nanairo" in 2021. Their album Iris (2024) is among the releases that have cemented their status in the Japanese music scene, showcasing their characteristic blend of melodic rock and introspective lyrics.