Not Wonk

NOT WONK are a three-piece indie rock band hailing from 苫小牧市 (Tomakomai) in 北海道 (Hokkaido). Formed in 2010 with a teenage 加藤修平 (Kato Shuhei) on lead vocals and bass, the band originally played simplistic pop punk songs. They released three demos across 2012 and 2013, eventually settling on their current lineup with Kato as the frontman and songwriter (having switched to guitar), along with 藤井航平 (Fuji Kohei) on bass and 高橋尭睦 (Takahashi Akimu) on drums. In 2014, NOT WONK was featured on the 生き埋めレコーズ compilation 『生き埋めVA』 along with other up-and-coming acts from the Japanese punk/indie scene, and released their debut EP 『Fuck It Dog, Life is Too Sugarless』 on cassette through I Hate Smoke Tapes. They were promptly signed by 安孫子真哉's new label KiliKiliVilla, and released their first full-length 『Laughing Nerds and a Wallflower』 in May 2015; Kato was 21 years old and both Fuji and Takahashi were 20 at the time of the album's release. 『Laughing Nerds and a Wallflower』 showcased NOT WONK's distinctive brand of energetic indie-punk, and exhibited strong influences from American and British indie bands (partly exemplified by numerous references to Mega City Four). As many of the songs on 『Laughing Nerds and a Wallflower』 were from as far back as 2013 and 2014, NOT WONK were able to prepare a new batch of songs in time to release their second full-length 『This Ordinary』 just over a year later. In 2017, the band played at RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL on the def garage stage alongside such prestigious bands as Eastern Youth and Zazen Boys, and also released the EP 『Penfield』 in September of that year. While the band had already expanded their sound on 『This Ordinary』 to include richer instrumental arrangements, 『Penfield』 saw the band progressing even further with ambient sections, long jams and unconventional chord progressions. NOT WONK appeared at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL '18 on the ROOKIE-A-GO-GO stage, and in the following year, they made their major label debut with the album 『Down the Valley』, released via Cutting Edge (part of the Avex Group).