Urbangarde

Urbangarde is a Japanese band known for its unique blend of electronic music, pop, and rock. The band was formed in Tokyo in 2002. The band's career began when poet and songwriter Matsunaga Temma witnessed a performance by Hamasaki Yoko and decided to start a music project together. Their popularity surged in 2007 after being recognized in a Yahoo! Japan competition. They released the independent albums Shōjo Wa Nidoshinu (2008) and Shōjo Toshi Keikaku (2009), but it was the release of their major label singles under Universal Music Japan "Skirt Kakumei" and "Tokimeki ni Shisu" that increased their profile in 2011. Their album Geiger Counter Culture in 2012, a reflection on post-Fukushima Japan, reached the Top 10 on the Oricon charts. Their appearance on the TV program Japan in Motion helped them gain an international fanbase, culminating in a performance at the Toulouse Game Show in 2012. The following year, the group released a greatest hits compilation titled Koi to Kakumei to URBANGARDE (2013). Over the following years, Urbangarde released albums such as Utsukushii Kuni (2015), Tokyopop (2020), and Avantdemic (2020), each album furthering their popularity and reach. In 2024, the group returned with the album Metrospective, which was promoted with a single of the same name.