1985: Four young men from Gunma trying to make it big in Tokyo fire their lead singer, Araki. The band is now composed by guitarists Imai Hisashi and Hoshino Hidehiko, bassist Higuchi Yutaka and ex-drummer now turned lead singer Sakurai Atsushi. To complete the lineup, they convince Yagami Toll (who had lost his own band recently) to take over the drums. It is almost a family affair: Higuchi and Yagami are brothers, the rest are either childhood friends or classmates from school. When they started the band, a couple years prior, none of the members of Buck-Tick (a play on bakuchiku, firecracker) even knew how to play their instruments. Self-taught and following ingenious DIY marketing strategies true to their punk origins, they eventually managed to become an indie phenomenon¹ –and the rest is history. For the next decades, they would go on to be one of the trailblazers of a brand new movement, visual kei² (which would forever change Japanese rock music), release over 20 full length studio albums and dozens of singles, music videos and concert films, in addition to extensive touring in their native country.

The longevity of the band is not entirely unheard of, but their consistency both in terms of releases and lineup is a rarer feat. After 1985, the lineup did not change until 2023, with the untimely passing of Sakurai Atsushi. Despite that, the band has decided to continue making music. What is it that works for them? They are not the most innovative band in the world, and yet they sound fresh enough to remain interesting while playing it safe enough that they always sound exactly like Buck-Tick. The magazine Metropolis sums it up well: “beyond the music, it is the overall well thought-out Buck-Tick brand that is responsible for the band’s lengthy success. Image? Dark enough to attract fringe subcultures, but not too dark to scare off mainstreamers.” ³. The key to the brand? Possibly the fact that they incorporated experimentation and variety early on as a very part of their identity.

Over the past few years, I’ve grown very fond of Buck-Tick⁴ –I mean, why else would I be writing this? This article is as much a passion project as a case study. We will explore the band's artistry and try to answer what makes Buck-Tick be themselves and endure through their long career. To do this, we will focus on different “faces”, themes and aspects of the band. A few considerations before we jump into it: I don't speak Japanese so I rely on translations. With such an abundance of material and given the language-barrier, all I do (even when I am trying to be exhaustive) is bound to be a high level overview. All of this is, of course, my personal opinion and analysis, and I will not discuss in depth their global musical influences for various reasons. For reference, I have created a discography appendix with commentary, which you can find at the end of the article.

The visual

Buck-Tick pride themselves on being a “visual band”, which is part of the reason why they have just so many professionally recorded concerts and DVD releases. The live spectacle is part of their very essence, with near-constant touring. It makes perfect sense: not only are they born from the punk aesthetic and sensibilities, they were also partaking in the early days of visual kei. Though Buck-Tick do not consider themselves “visual kei”, they had some relation to the scene and influenced it greatly².

Visual kei, born in Japan during the late 80s, is a fascinating and complex topic in itself. Suffice to say that the movement does not really denote a particular kind of music (though all bands and subgenres generally adhere to some variation of rock or metal). Rather, visual kei is an aesthetic and artistic sensibility shared across a spectrum. The influences are very varied. Its origins can be traced back to glam rock, hair metal, new wave and punk among others. For Buck-Tick in particular, the influence of artists such as David Bowie, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy or The Beatles can be found⁵. Visual kei's ramifications are wide: many notable Japanese acts (such as Dir en Grey or Miyavi⁶) trace their origins or inspirations back to visual kei. The aesthetic had a notable impact later on (see South Korean boy band TVXQ Tri-Angle era, or German band Tokio Hotel in the 2000s)⁷, and the scene is still going strong even if it’s not as massive as it once was. Buck-Tick counts itself among the icons of the era on account of the influence they had over the scene². Paired up with their longevity, this means they have influenced many other J-Rock acts.

Iconoclasm - visual shock & aestheticism

We begin our journey with five men in their early twenties. They have bleached blond hair and massive mohawks and heavy dramatic makeup. From the beginning, they know they have to curate their image, and they are trying to look tough⁸. As we go into the nineties though, the crests fall down (mostly), and the look becomes darker. Clad in black leather, with long black silky hair and pencil sharp eyebrows, Sakurai turns himself into an alluring and mysterious figure⁹. He knows the camera loves him and he loves it back. The rest of the band don’t fall too far behind.

Throughout the years, their style kept changing. Hair cuts and hair colors kept coming and going, as did beards and makeup. The style kept evolving to match every new era. Some things remain steady though. Imai, lead guitarist and main composer, is always the energetic, edgy one –experimental, colorful outfits, exaggerated clothes, heavier makeup, bright colored hair in bold arrangements, “B-T” painted on his cheek–, Sakurai always retains some of the mystery and the black from his 90s days. The rest of the band compliment and balance them in one way or another¹⁰: sometimes more sober, other times brighter. The absolute mainstay is Yagami’s hair crest –he hasn't put it down since the 80s¹¹.

The aestheticism, the looks for the sake of looks, are an important part of the band and feed back into their sound. During their cyberpunk years, they would wear leather mouth masks, spiked collars and futuristic punk hairstyles that were complemented with a metallic scenery as shown on Sweet strange live (1998) concert movie¹². Later on, around 2014 with a new concept, the band would include an accordion and/or violin player dressed up in a ballerina doll-like outfit to fit in with a cabaret theme¹³. There is a more controversial side for aestheticism, of course, like the occasional recurrence of Nazi-chic aesthetic¹⁴. This utilization of certain thematics for the sake of aesthetics and “shock” without much apparent consideration for the political implications of it isn’t unheard of neither in the band, nor in the rest of the musical scene they belong to, but it's still worth pointing out. When it comes to personal taste, the band has certainly had some questionable stylings, but the amount of thought and care put into it to this day remains.

Onnanoko otokonoko - the theatrics of gender

Red lipstick, thigh-high stockings with booty shorts, garments like a skirt or dress and extravagant hats became staples of Sakurai's later years’ live shows appearances¹⁵. The utilization of so-called feminine elements was apparent (and Sakurai was doing it at an age when most rock stars have given up on such things), but the gender play was always part of the performance. Sakurai himself put it this way: “well, I guess I want to transcend gender. It's part of the job. The moment I get embarrassed about this kind of thing, I'm finished…”¹⁶.

Androgyny and alternative gender presentations are nothing new in rock music. Even very macho bands like Guns n’ Roses played into androgyny and certain “feminine” aesthetic elements in their earlier days. Just as gender transgression was present in glam rock, it was an integral part of the visual kei scene. It looks to be an aesthetic shock as much as part of the theatrical play ¹⁷. For Buck-Tick, this gender performance is present both on their fashion, as well as on their imagery. One such example is the interpolation of man and woman in the Dress¹⁸ music video. Furthermore, the gender roles and it's complex, blurry lines are present in some songs lyrically –notably, Hizumi deals with themes of masculinity and its constraints, but can also be read as the story of a transgender person¹⁹.

A certain element of homoeroticism is also present within this gender play. If I must say so myself, just as sex sells, so does yaoi. But jokes aside, the homoeroticism is implied in certain lyrics or visual instances, such as the above mentioned. Furthermore, for some live performances, particularly in the 90s, Sakurai had a habit of embracing and groping Imai during some of the songs²⁰. You can also take a look at the photoshoot Sakurai did with Yoshiki of X Japan ¹⁴ or the one Imai did with fellow guitarist hide (also of X Japan) as further examples²¹. Once again it's not a unique trait, but another side of the same type of showmanship. The point to which this or that band, including Buck-Tick, is more authentic in their commitment to these topics than others is up to debate. There seems to have been a genuine interest for it¹⁶ but after all, the gender play within rock music in general has proven to be just as much a questioning of hierarchical gender roles as it is an effective marketing strategy.

Eros and Thanatos

The majority of Buck-Tick lyrics have been penned by Sakurai, with a significant contribution from Imai. Imai and Sakurai’s thematic and symbolic fixations sometimes differ, but they simply mark multiple sides of the band.

One of these sides is the Romantic sensibility (with capital R), that permeates much of Buck-Tick’s sound and lyrics. After all, Aku no hana are very much the same Fleurs du mal of Baudelaire. The sensual, romantic, grotesque, supernatural and tragic converge here, with a notable juxtaposition of topics of erotic nature, life and death. There is often a sense of urgency, of spiraling out of control and trying to catch something that's permanently out of reach –the continuous fall of the self not only for the object of desire, but also as a victim of itself. When it comes to the Eros (love, desire)/Thanatos (death) contraposition, vampires are an easy metaphor –Both alive and dead, fallen from grace, alluring yet dangerous – and what is Romance (one of Buck-Tick’s flagship songs) lyrically, musically and visually if not a vampire love song?

Victims of love - sex and romance

Sexuality and eroticism are an integral part of the band’s music and brand. Horny on main, if you will. I mean, one could not expect less from a band who proudly put a song called Sex for you in an album called Taboo and went on to name multiple concerts Climax Together. Sex sells, as I said before, and Buck-Tick took that to heart, especially on their early days. A notable part of their discography lingers on sex and sexuality either lyrically or just by having Sakurai crooning over sensual melodies (or sometimes just straight out moaning into the mic). Lyrically, some songs couldn't be more explicit (see Sasayaki). The shows were fairly blunt about it too, and they never quite toned it down when it came to spectacle. However I would argue that there was a little bit of a shift, with the lyrics increasingly dealing with different topics as they went on, and the sex becoming a bit less overt. Still, if I could only use three words for Buck-Tick, I would choose sex, death and futurism.

There is romance there too, of course. Many of the love songs have an edge to them, either an inherent sadness (as in the song Brilliant) a broken desperation or sense of loss or fragility (Moonlight, Snow white), sometimes they become moody possessive pieces that border on obsession (Misshitsu). Often they deal with goodbyes (Kiss me goodbye, Oriental love story) .

This flare for a dramatic love story and overtly sexual undertones is, as I mentioned, also present in the live shows. For Sakurai, it was an integral part of his showmanship, a toying and teasing of the audience, like a long standing seduction game with a markedly decadent undertone. He was often, as Josephine Yun says, like a man possessed²²: sometimes self contained or doing dramatic hand movements and flipping his hair around, other times opening legs wide and feeling himself, other times just literally crawling on the floor, channelling anger or seduction or class according to the situation –whatever he did, he was always fully immersed in it, sometimes almost in a trance.

Zero - decadence

Decadence and falling in general are common topics, following the Romantic ideal. Images of the unreachable, deadly, crazy sun (Tai you ni korosareta, Taiyou to Icaros, My funny Valentine), of untouchable angels and fallen idols (Flame, Megami, we could make the case for Idol), and lonely “blind-blue” boys falling down (Aku no Hana, Jukai) are recurring. The narrator of the song is often put on their knees desperately trying to reach out to or trap an unattainable object of affection (as in Victims of love or the aforementioned Megami). On the other hand, the presence of sin and desire as both a polluting element and potent force is also recurrent (as in Maria), as is the topic of madness (Sane or even Taiyou ni korosareta). Sometimes the narrator's desperation is directed entirely against themselves. Songs like Aku no hana, Carnival or Scarecrow deal with a deep seated sense of loneliness and lack of belonging that's also a common Romantic theme.

The “proper” decadent undertones can also be felt in the structure, cadence and sometimes lyrics of songs like Sane, Feast of demoralization or Romance, and the feeling lingers and permeates entire albums like Darker than Darkness and Juusankai was Gekou. There is an undeniable Dionysian flavor to much of their discography, which despite the very glaring differences in music, image, time context and artistic approach sometimes reminds me of bands like The Doors: bombastic, sometimes exaggerated and disorganized, markedly sensual, chameleonic but with a particular sense of rhythm and fun²³. Angelic conversation even directly references the god of wine in its lyrics.

Finally, decadence understood purely “decline” and more divorced from the Romantic sensibility, appears, by nature, in all of their cyberpunk themed albums and their immediate predecessors. There is a certain sense of apocalyptic urgency and degradation, acquiring an ominous futuristic flavor that looms over, sharp and dark.

Kimi ga shin... dara - death

A fascination with death and with the morbid is part of Romantic idealism. As such, death and eroticism are contrasted in what Freud, taking from the Greek, expressed as the pulsions of Eros and Thanatos. Much of Buck-Tick’s work deals with death, loss, mourning or the morbid. Love and pain are juxtaposed, as death is juxtaposed with life. But rather than being opposite sides, Eros and Thanatos are often presented as a continuum (as could be in the French petite mort to refer to the climax). Thus, Just one more kiss features a lover/object of affection asked to love the narrator, but also to kill him. My funny Valentine, on of their signature songs, also deals with this dichotomy, while songs like Ai no soretsu present a more mature and complex death/love relationship.

Celestial objects appear as a recurring theme, and the “floating” in space can appear as a way to signify death and rebirth. The moon is one of their most prominent symbols (they have multiple songs with moon in the title, let alone in the lyrics). The sun, planets and the cosmos at large are also recurring motifs, but metaphysical Heaven is frequent too (In heaven being one of the most obvious examples). When it comes to religious imagery however, I’m under the impression that Buddhism predominates, though there are also multiple Biblical references. Syncretism is part of the essence. We find songs like Kalavinka and incantations like cum uh sol nu, containing Buddhist allegories, while songs like Babel use Biblical images. Jupiter is an interesting example for their use of Christian symbols. It’s a ballad that builds up into a potent rock cry and deals with themes of motherhood and separation. However, to me, the song has the flavor of a death/birth allegory, filled with the corresponding existential anguish²⁴.

Some of the songs that deal more directly with death are deeply personal ones. When it comes to loss, the haunting Long distance call is both a love letter, an apology, and a mourning swan song Sakurai wrote for his own mother²⁵. Songs such as Sakura (the cherry blossom being a quintessentially Japanese symbol) deal with death in more poetic ways. Undoubtedly, there is a certain obsession with death, particularly present in the run from 1990 to 2003, that never left the band. The cosmic imagery and a certain sense of dread can be summed up in the lyrics “If you were to die, you'd be a star / If I were to die, I'd be the darkness” from Kimi ga shin… dara, a fast paced rock song with electronic and industrial overtones¹². The theme also reappears somewhat in the song Psyche from 2024’s album Subrosa. It is a song reminiscent of their cyberpunk era, with lyrics and vocals that serve as an eerie reminder of what the band has lost.

Death, however, is not always an entirely sad affair. Sometimes it comes (or is expected to come) with a sense of release, as in the aptly titled Die or even as something tempting or related to an inescapable temptation (Yuuwaku, Thanatos). As Yun puts it, “BUCK-TICK was (and continues to be) an anomaly in the Japanese music scene, a tangle of goth rock diluted with synth and electronica. It’s unhappy, dirty music, the musical equivalent of exploded soot and smoke.”²².

Edge

As much as they are associated with a certain brand of sad music, Buck-Tick also knows how to have fun. Almost four decades in the business means that they have to find a way to keep it interesting enough not to fall behind. Everything is mixed together, and it is the mix –the syncretism– which holds the clue of an enduring multi-faced group. Imai is the man for the job. In the previous section I have discussed what we could argue are more of Sakurai’s lyrical obsessions. It is now time to look a bit more closely at Imai’s side. The contrast between the two is apparent in Future song in which they co-wrote the lyrics: Imai sings about guns, monsters and defiance while Sakurai is talking about… well, sex²⁶.

Imai’s particular brand of clowns, madness and cybernetics coupled with peculiar electric guitar sounds are what I would call the edge of Buck-Tick, although he is not the only member of the band to contribute to the musical composition. The albums steadily have two to four tracks composed by Hoshino, the rhythm guitarist. I am personally very fond of his songs, many of which are among my favorites of the band (such as Desperate girl, Jupiter, Dress, Snow white or Carnival). But the majority of the writing duties still fall on Imai, who, if left alone for too long, will launch himself onto long, electronic solos (with guitar, synthesiser or theremin) all while he dances and jumps around the stage. By comparison, Hoshino seems rather quiet and camera shy, and his songs often (not always) have a softer side. As for Higuchi and Yagami, their contribution to songwriting (as far as credits go) has been minimal. Now with the absence of Sakurai, the remaining members are left to fend for themselves, and the guitarists (now sharing vocal duties) might want to re-calibrate their respective views when it comes to writing and composing. Subrosa, the band’s first long play effort after Sakurai’s passing, is somewhat divisive. Personally, I haven't quite made up my mind about it. Overall, I don’t believe it’s that much of a departure from the band’s previous efforts as some people argue –and yet, yes, it is not the same as it was²⁷.

Believe future (rise above yourself) - futurism

There must be something in the mind of a man who unironically wrote and sang “hail psycho bitch raise above yourself”²⁸. Imai's lyrics, as well as his music, is filled with edgy, piercing, sometimes almost apocalyptic futurist imagery. It is the stuff of automatic guns, smoke and pollution, but also of robots, cyber electronics and wires. It is, to sum up, the stuff of cyberpunk. Cyberpunk started as a literary term to refer to a genre within science fiction, but it is also an aesthetic, and can be taken as a literal “punk + cybernetics”. Imai's lyrics and his songs often present a broken down disorder. His lyrics sometimes follow something like a stream of consciousness flow (see Angelic conversation), and sometimes slogan-like chants. More than singing, he often “raps” his parts and Sakurai follows suit. On stage, he's always concentrated and bold, defiant, constantly challenging the viewers with a forward attitude.

When it comes to sound, Imai is always experimenting. As such, he has incorporated instruments such as the theremin in their songs (Long distance call) as well as heavy electronic and synthesizer sounds. I once read a comment by a fan (can't find it now) that said One life, one death the first album of their cyberpunk trilogy, which features notably distorted, “dirty” sound was the Imai album while the more melodic second part Kyokutou I love you was more Sakurai's side. The noise adds to the disorder, which is an important feature of some of Imai's work as a lyricist. The industrial, heavy machine, electronics of cyberpunk lead us naturally into the futuristic themes. But there is another recurring theme that shares part of the “non-human” element of automation and the edgy side of science: images related to alchemy are present, such as the homunculus from cum uh sol nu.

Imai uses non-Japanese words way more frequently than Sakurai does, which signals more directly to his western influences. Other than the frequent use of English, there are German words sparkled here and there, and indeed we could argue for the influence the German industrial scene had on the band –so much so that both Imai and Sakurai would go on to form the band Schwein with Raymond Watts and Sascha Konietzko of German-based band KMFDM²⁹, with whom Imai had already collaborated on a separate project, Shaft.

Amidst all this, and added to the “Thanatos” topics we have discussed earlier, one would very much argue there is a flare for destruction. After all, Buck-Tick started out making covers of a punk band and acts such as Sex pistols are among their influences (in case it wasn't obvious, they have a song called Sid Vicious by the beach). True to their punk origins, destruction is required before building anew.

Keijijou ryuusei - philosophy and politics

The punk sensibility described above is reflected in imagery reflecting war, clashing or fighting (Kamikaze, Future song), all of which ties in with the apocalyptic side of their futurism. There are heavily confrontational tunes like Mona Lisa or My fuckin’ Valentine, but there are also songs that use more overt political references or imagery (Cuba libre, or the possibly soviet-inspired aesthetics used for Keijijou Ryuusei³⁰). Once again, the aesthetic is coming into play without necessarily involving the actual politics, but it must be added that there was some controversy regarding such topics during the release of Six/Nine due to alleged offensive lyrics³¹. In any case, war and violence, appear recurrently in songs such as Guernica no yoru or Campanella, often tied with the theme of loss of innocence as in Mushu no namida. The loss of innocence itself is also a prominent theme in Adult children (which deals with child abuse)³² which also uses the image of dreams and nightmares.

Dreams are a recurring motifs, both in positive and negative lights, and sometimes are tied to wider existential matters, like the “dream of a dream of a memory” the narrator of Jukai refers to³³. Dream is a powerful metaphor as it relates to an illusion/reality dichotomy. Dreams can be prophetic, calming or, in turn, anguished nightmares (Solaris). In addition, they often serve as an outlet for melancholy (Keijijou Ryuusei, Snow white), and of course it ties in neatly with other metaphors and images of the cosmic (Yume miru Uchuu), and can appear also linked to the themes of passion and falling (Miu). Dreams appear as both a way to deceive oneself and as crucial form of escapism to deal with life (Moonlight Escape).

There is a markedly existential flavor to a significant part of their material, as in the Uta, Alive, Kodou and many others. The narrator of the songs often wonders about life or fights existential dread (as seen in the previous section about death). Reflections on the self are also prominent. The narrator of the songs is often breaking down, and desperately lonely in one way or another (Rhapsody). As referred earlier, some songs reflect a preoccupation with loneliness and inadequacy. Naturally it follows that there is a common motif of masks and performance, and the contrast between authenticity and falsehood (as in masQue or Love parade). Despite the temptations of death and destruction, a wish to overcome the darkness of life can be inferred when looking at the band's production as a whole. Perhaps, I must wonder, the songs are a form of exorcism in this regard.

Demons and evil as a whole appear often and it links well with the theme of sin and falling we have previously commented. The image of the devil is used in songs such as Diabolo and even appears in their (curiously but unsurprisingly) concert title “Devil and Freud”. Passion and desire often appear as devastating or as bordering on (personal) destruction. Elise no tame ni (with Imai's lyrics) talks about a destructive love over a catchy rock melody ³⁴, but there are other even more overt cases. Ash-ra takes this burning passion, adds an ecstatic (one could even say dionysian) tone, all the while referencing with “asuras”, a type of beings of Buddhist and Hindu mythology that can sometimes (very roughly speaking) be likened to demons³⁵.

Boogie Woogie - the rock n’ roll lifestyle

Now let's get gossipy for just a second. Like any other rock band, in order to be truly a rock band, there had to be controversy somewhere, some bad boy shenanigans. The most notorious is the drug scandal. Their tour in 1989 was infamously ended early due to Imai's arrest for drug possession (LSD, of course). So that's it, there you have it: sex, drugs and rock n’ roll. After the legal trouble, the band came back with a big, very successful gig titled The day in question (which became a yearly tradition) and some time later they released a song titled Speed³⁶. I'll leave it up to you to guess what Speed is about. The whole thing feels like a big middle finger straight to the media's face.

I'm not going to get into rumors and such. They are overall fairly discreet about their personal lives (of course there's talk of Sakurai being a notorious rake, what else could one expect), but there is still room for even just a little bit of that rock excess, even if only visually. Some of the allure in rock music is, after all, the fascination with the lifestyle that's commonly associated with it, and a sense of catharsis through the rebellious attitude rock exudes ³⁷. I think part of the relative discretion (at least for the past couple decades) is likely culturally motivated but I'm not qualified to make that assessment and also it might be simply due to me not being in direct contact with the industry on a media level and lack of translations. Suffice to say that the band knows controversy and likely actively seeked it in their earlier days, hence why the provocative and explicitly sexual lyrics, videos and performances.

Though the shiny show biz is not, to my knowledge, very recurring in their music, there's some of it here and there. Boogie Woogie is about life on the road, National media boys seems to poke fun at the media³⁸, Speed is an obvious one. In addition, there are also songs about songs for the sake of rock n’ roll, or directly addressing their musical influences (21st Cherry boy being a play on T.Rex’s 20th century boy), fun tunes to dance to with a more classic sound such as Go-Go B-T train (Hunan Go-Go being the first name the band took). Overall, Buck-Tick gives the impression of taking their jobs very seriously, but not necessarily taking themselves too seriously. Sometimes it's good to clown around.

Razzle dazzle - dada & funsies

Yun might have been right in calling Buck-Tick’s music unhappy and dirty²², but that statement was written during the cyberpunk years. Though sadness and nostalgia and other topics we have previously discussed are a feature of their music, there's room for simple, straight forward fun –sometimes even borderline nonsense. Songs like Mermaid show the dance, lighthearted side of the band. A whimsical, circus or cabaret element is present once again aesthetics³⁹, as well as songs (Da da disco comes to mind). Sometimes this is presented as a simple frantic disorder (Razzle dazzle).

The band's artistic, literary and cinematic influences are varied. There are allusions to Blade Runner (a song in Kyokutou I love you) and Mona Lisa Overdrive in the eponymous album (though apparently this one was accidental and not intended as a reference to William Gibson’s novel, Gibson is still one of the father's of cyberpunk, so if it's true it was a coincidence, it was a very happy one) in their cyberpunk years. References to Alice in Wonderland, Solaris, Hamlet or the poet Charles Baudelaire are the most obvious ones. When it comes to art, Picasso is obviously referenced, and so is Dali. After all the song Elise no tame ni ³⁴ features melting clocks. There is an undeniable surrealist, and dadaist, influx –so much so that it's basically the concept of Arui wa anarchy⁴⁰.

Generally speaking, the relative nihilism and palpable anguish that permeated the 90s and 2000s for the band takes a turn to something looser, livelier, a bit avant garde even from the mid-2000s onwards. The “straight rock” years aren't much to my liking, but this time of relative musical tranquility and staleness eventually led to a dadaist explosion of sorts in albums like (the previously mentioned) Arui wa anarchy (2014) which incorporates dance and psychedelic elements. From then on, the band continued on a strong stead. My personal favorite Buck-Tick album of the past decade is Atom Mirai ha no.9, which really sums up the virtues of their latter musical work: the dramatic, highly theatrical vocals, as well as the mysterious repetitive almost ritualistic rhythms of songs like cum uh sol nu. There is still the heartfelt melancholy and sensuality of previous efforts, this time mixed with a certain Latin influx (that I personally find cute) plus the industrial-inspired distorted, sharp guitars and steady, reliable drums and bass, arranged in a grandiose, arena manner while incorporating bits of electronica.

Through all of Imai's machine sounds, punk attitude, surrealist imagery, and colorful clown-like outfits, there is also space for softness. Thus we find songs like the ballad Sekai wa yami de michite iru. All of this, anguish and fun, edge and softness, vulnerability and defiance, death and life, come together and are mixed into Buck-Tick’s cocktail. With the variety of topics, comes also the variety in sound: from soft post-punk, new wave sounds, to the depths of gothic rock, the straightforwardness of classic rock, the dirt and distortion of industrial, the frantic rhythms of dance-rock, the infusion of jazz, electronica, and classic Japanese ballads are some of the many elements that add flavor and depth to the mix.

Moonlight - Conclusion

I read of Sakurai's death in October 2023 completely by chance –so much so that at first I thought the group had simply disbanded. He was 57 years old. It was a shock but as the shock faded a little, I felt honestly and genuinely sad⁴¹. Here was a man I didn't know, whose personal life I didn't care particularly about, but who made music I enjoyed. One of the things I liked the most about his artistry was how he was able to adapt and rework his singing style as his voice changed with age, the gravitas and emotion he was able to pour into each and every word. It was a voice that could make me tear up over words I did not even understand. And now we'll never hear how his voice would have kept evolving. Ever since then I've been wondering how to make a small tribute to him and a band whose music has accompanied me through hours upon hours of traveling, dancing, crying, studying, working, laughing. This article is the result of those reflections.

So to go back to our original question, how do they keep it going after so many years? Well, Buck-Tick is good at turning classic, almost clichéd formulas and mixing them into becoming part of their uniqueness. Whether Buck-Tick can really withstand the test of time without Sakurai is a question that remains open –though Subrosa strikes me as a successful attempt at it. Already their later years saw a bit of a decline in their spark according to many (myself included), but I think it's not a very fair criticism. Of course they are not as “fresh” as they were almost 40 years ago, but if you look closely at the post-punk and new wave scenes that influenced them on a global scale, they were never the kings of invention to begin with. Instead, I think their capacity to keep renewing themselves, to stay afloat and not become boring, is their highlight. Simply put, these men refuse to stay quiet –in a way, it's a refusal to get old. They remain bold, committed and unapologetic, with the security that maturity and a long devoted fan base grant at the same time that they have avoided becoming a legacy band and kept actually exploring all the sides of their sound spectrum. Spearheaded by main composer Imai, it's their use and reuse of common tropes, as well as their persistent will to go on and keep adding little new details here and there that has granted them their longevity –the little Buck-Tick touch that keeps fans waiting for just one more kiss.

Appendix : album (LP) chronology

The early years: Post-punk, romance & finding footing (1987-1988).

Characterized by an energetic but still derivative post punk and new wave sound, with emphasis on Romantic themes and catchy tunes.

Releases: Hurry Up Mode (1987), Sexual XXXXX! (1987), Seventh Heaven (1988).

Recommended songs of this era: Moonlight, Romanesque, In heaven, Desperate girl.

The one in the middle: major label debut (1989).

As their major label debut, it marks an important hallmark for the band's history. Musically, it's a transitional album. The sound is still markedly post-punk but it's starting to truly sound like Buck-Tick. Steady improvement on the vocal department as well.

Release: Taboo (1989)

Recommended songs: Iconoclasm, Just one more kiss.

Dark waters: rise and experimentation (1999-1993).

Incorporation of darker themes, more dense, gothic and industrial inspired sounds, as well as noise music and even jazz. Marked by strong sonic experimentation, particularly towards the Darker than Darkness era. Most well-known and successful times of the band, and honestly? It's no wonder why these moody pieces marked their heyday.

Releases: Aku no Hana (1990), Kurutta Taiyou (1991), Koroshi no Shirabe: This Is Not Greatest Hits (1992; re-recording of previous material), Darker than Darkness: Style ‘93 (1993)

Recommended songs: Aku no hana, Kiss me goodbye, Jupiter, Taiyou ni korosareta, Victims of love (1992 version), Dress, Ao no sekai.

Add some more noise: maturity & the industrial albums (1995-1997).

After hinting at it, the proper industrial years begin. Albums marked by a heavier rock sound, except for Cosmos which counterbalances the others with more softness and though almost as much noise. Markedly decadent tone in some lyrics. Wikipedia classifies Cosmos and Sexy Stream Liner as “electropunk”, but I would argue the latter is the first of their cyberpunk-themed efforts.

Releases: Six/Nine (1995), Cosmos (1996), Sexy Stream Liner (1997).

Recommended songs: Misshitsu, Uta, Sane, Heroin, My fuckin’ valentine.

The cyberpunk trilogy (2000-2003).

These albums hold a sonic and thematic theme that sets them apart, though Sexy Stream liner is also a “cyberpunk” album. Electronic and industrial experimentation. First album shows a dirtier, more unpolished sound, the second album reflects a softer, almost ballad-like side, and the last album is on the heavier rock side of the equation.

Releases: One Life, One Death (2000), Kyokutou I love you (2002), Mona Lisa Overdrive (2003).

Recommended songs: Megami, Flame, Long distance call, Mona Lisa.

Return to goth (2005).

Notable departure from previous efforts. There is an emphasis on theatrics and a new look for the band. It's a different “goth” from their earlier years. Cabaret-like.

Release: Juusankai wa Gekkou (2005).

Recommended songs: Romance, Ijin no yoru.

"Straight rock" (2007-2010).

Regular alternative rock, softer, more pop-ish, less experimental and often, honestly, less interesting. Still some good songs. The emphasis is that of more classic-sounding rock and roll.

Releases: Tenshi no Revolver (2007), Memento Mori (2009), Razzle Dazzle (2010).

Recommended songs: Snow white, Coyote, Serial thrill kisser.

The circus years: dance and psychedelia (2012-2014).

Marked by a whimsical, dance sound, these are fun albums with catchy tunes and psychedelic elements. The circus and theatre element is present on live shows. Experimental yet grounded in their seniority. Incorporates dance and reggae elements on top of the rock mix. These two are regionally blocked on Spotify.

Releases: Yume Miru Uchuu (2012), Arui wa Anarchy (2014).

Recommended songs: Mermaid, Keijijou ryuusei, Mudai.

The recent albums: alternative, electronic, pop-ish (2016-2023).

Alternative rock with a bit of everything. Atom is more industrial with futuristic themes, airy arrangements and a certain “Latin” influence. No. 0 is mostly an electronic album. Abracadabra has a pop and new wave edge but retains qualities of the previous period. Izora is alternative rock, and to an extent feels like the band was sailing into new waters.

Releases: Atom Miraiha no. 9 (2016), No. 0 (2018), Abracadabra (2020), Izora (2023).

Recommended songs: Jukai, Guernica no yoru, Tsuki no sabaku, Hizumi.

What the future holds: Buck-Tick post Sakurai (2024-present).

A very electronic leaning sound, though not on the same vein as No. 0. It doesn’t feel like a complete departure from previous material. Imai and Hoshino alternate on vocals. Hoshino, in particular, seems to be channeling their late singer to the best of his capabilities. There doesn’t seem to be any kind of involvement from Sakurai prior to his passing.

Release: Subrosa (2024)

Recommended song: Psyche, Tasogare no howling.