Anime has never been bigger, and not just in Japan. The hunger for new anime shows and the cultural impact they’re having is huge, including on music. Major veteran rock bands like Papa Roach, Evanescence and Yungblud have found success having their songs soundtrack popular anime shows. But up until now, there hasn’t been a Japanese rock band who have experienced the same kind of crossover success here in the states.
That may change with Kroi‘s theme song for the show STEEL BALL RUN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. The song “Spin” debuted on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative charts last week, and after hearing the track, I’d personally love to see it continue to ride up the chart.
With guitars sounding like a hyped-up Ennio Morricone soundtrack, it’s fitting the video for the track plays into old west tropes. Opening on the band dressed in parody western outfits, playing against a bright sunset, the video finds the band hanging out in a western set-up town, drinking “Burn” whiskey, and performing as Japanese dancers put on a swing-meets-line dancing choreography. The narrative continues with outlaws being drugged, a psychedelic dance-off sequence, and women becoming literal tornadoes on the dance floor.
And the influence of swing on top of Morricone western themes on this rock n’ roll track makes it a unique and memorable export from the far east. It’s a far cry from the more hard rock/nu-metal style of songs that have become synonymous with anime soundtracks as of late here in the U.S., and I’m grateful for it.
Watch the video for Kroi‘s smash above, and stream the song here.
