ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION

Asian Kung-Fu Generation is an alternative rock band formed in Yokohama, Japan, in 1996. Singer/guitarist Masafumi Gotoh, guitarist Kensuke Kita, bassist Takahiro Yamada, and drummer Kiyoshi Ijichi played locally for several years before releasing an EP with Caramelman in 2000. Two more EPs followed, and in 2003 their album Kimi Tsunagi Five M went to number 5 on Japan's Oricon albums chart. The double-platinum Sol-fa (2004) and the gold-certified World World World (2006) both topped the Japan albums chart, while Fanclub (2006), Surf Bungaku Kamakura (2008), Magic Disk (2010), Landmark (2012), Wonder Future (2015), Sol-fa 2016 (2016), and Home Town (2018) all made the Top Ten. Asian Kung-Fu Generation also enjoyed success on the Oricon Singles chart, where the 2006 track "World Apart" reached number 1 and a series of follow-up singles -- including 2011's "Marching Band," 2015's "Easter," and 2020's "Dialogue/Furetai Tashikametai" -- all reached the Top 10. Planet Folks, the band's tenth album, was released in 2022 and charted at number 12, followed by Surf Bungaku Kamakura Complete -- an extended version of 2008's Surf Bungaku Kamakura -- in 2023.