Budo Grape Celebrates Drummer in 5th Set of Digital Singles, Announces 3rd UK Tour

April 5, 2015 - Japanese new wave band rock Budo Grape has released their 5th set of digital singles worldwide on iTunes, featuring a contrast of melancholy (“Jikansaryouomoi”) and insanely upbeat (“Go! Go! Taichi!”, named for the band's manic, forever-smiling drummer).
The current releases mark the achievement of 10 new songs over the course of a year, the result of the band's desire to keep connected to their fans in Japan and abroad.

“After creating the album Amsterdam, it felt like we had done everything Budo Grape could do at the time,” commented band leader Nagai Grape. “When thinking about what would come next, I couldn't find a good concept to make an album, and I was at a dead end, to be honest. That's when I got an idea of releasing a set of singles with short intervals. I could write songs in a free-form way, and it would be exciting for the band, I thought. So we made it our goal to release at least 10 songs in a year.”

The band gave visual uniformity to the project by releasing all ten digital singles with a uniform image, changing the colors for each song. “The 10 songs each have their own characteristics, and of course our feelings for each song are different,” continued Nagai. “So, to have unity, we changed colors for each song, but the basic design is the same. It's an unusual pattern, but it's very Budo Grape!”

For fans waiting for all these songs to make it to CD, Nagai teases that the wait will be just a little longer: “I can't say anything concrete yet, but I'd like to release an album in about 6 months, after adding a few songs that balance out the rest. You guys can look forward to something special.”

Budo Grape has also announced their return to the UK for Manchester's Doki Doki Japanese Festival in November. More info at: https://www.facebook.com/DokiDokiFestival

Budo Grape on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/budo-grape/id128156920
Budo Grape on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BUDOGRAPE

VIDEO (Singles #5)
https://youtu.be/MGoSGXTRPW0



PROFILE
Quminco÷Grape – Vocal
Nagai÷Grape – Vocal, Guitar
Matsui÷Grape – Vocal, Bass
Taichi÷Grape – Drums
74÷Grape (Naho÷Grape) – Keyboards

Budo÷Grape is a catchy, high energy avant-garde pop band from Nagoya, Japan. With a style often compared to the B-52′s, the band is fronted by model and radio personality Quminco and Nagoya music legend Nagai of the “Shockers”.

Formed in 2001, Budo÷Grape released their first full album Koibito wa Koishite Tsukuru in 2005. The album was a hit in the Japanese underground scene and was followed up with the 2006 release Soko kara Detekinasai and 2007′s Otonatachi x Kodomotachi.

In 2008, Budo÷Grape released their fourth album Aimore and performed their first American tour, with appearances in Dallas, TX (A-Kon), San Antonio, TX (Slim's Burger Joint), and New York (Knitting Factory). Inspired by their overseas fans, they returned to the studio that same year to release the EP Five Hits and Dust.

2009′s Himitsu Gallery would be the band's final recording for three years as each member worked on various side projects, including a Shockers reunion. The band reunited for the 2012 album Kare no Namae wo Omoidasenai, and performed their first UK Tour in October 2012.

After a return to the UK in 2013, Budo Grape released their 6th full-length album Amsterdam in 2014, followed by ten digital singles in 2015 and 2016. They will perform at the Doki Doki Japanese Festival in Manchester, England in Novermber 2016.

The band, whose members all have “Grape” for a last name, claim to come from “Neo-Nagoya.” They continue to tour Japan with their crazy live show and catchy songs.

LINKS
http://www.budogrape.net
http://www.facebook.com/BUDOGRAPE
http://twitter.com/budo_grape