Grounded in the framework of a classic three-piece rock band, Brandy Senki (ブランデー戦記) has fearlessly absorbed elements of hip-hop, psychedelia, and electronica, steadily shaping a sound that is unmistakably their own. Rather than chasing polish, they embody what vocalist Hazuki describes as “the sound that excites us the most right now”—a raw individuality that has quickly captivated listeners. Just two days before their appearance at the Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival (“Pentaport”), I sat down with the band in person. Even with a hint of nerves in the air, Hazuki, Minori, and Bori spoke with calm clarity, leaving no doubt about the direction they’re heading. Now, fresh off a successful first encounter with the Korean audience at Pentaport and ahead of their year-end solo concert in Seoul this December, Brandy Senki stands at a turning point, broadening their reach to new listeners.
To start off, could you say hello to your Korean fans?
Hazuki: Hello, everyone. I’m Hazuki, the vocalist of Brandy Senki.
Minori: I’m Minori, on bass.
Bori: And I’m Bori, on drums.
I’d like to ask about your band name, Brandy Senki (ブランデー戦記). When I first heard it, I thought it was really unique. Could you share what it means and whose idea it was?
Hazuki: It was really a joint decision — we all contributed our ideas equally. At first, Minori and I were talking about how cool it would be to have an alcohol-related name, and we thought “Brandy(ブランデー)” had a nice ring to it. So, we decided to include “Brandy” as the starting point.
Bori: The “Senki (戦記)” part of our name — which means “war chronicle” — was my idea. I wanted to add another word to “Brandy” to create something original. That’s how I came up with the mix of katakana and kanji. After thinking about which character would fit best, I felt that the “sen (戦)," meaning “battle,” really captured the spirit we wanted, so I suggested it.
Could each of you share what first drew you to music, and which musicians have influenced you over the years?
Bori: My father was the one who really loved bands. Among Japanese bands, he was into BOØWY, Tomoyasu Hotei, and Dragon Ash. At home, and even on road trips, he would always play band music, and that’s how I first got into it. As time went on, I started thinking I wanted to learn an instrument myself. My younger brother plays guitar — he actually started quite early — so at first, I considered trying guitar or another string instrument. But then I thought, if we played the same instrument, it might be less fun when we jammed together. That’s when I felt it would be better to go in a completely different direction, rhythm-wise. Plus, I figured knowing how to play drums would always be in demand if I ever joined a band, so that’s how I started on drums.
Hazuki: I started learning the violin when I was two, and I kept at it for more than ten years. My older brother was already playing, so I thought, “I guess this is just what everyone does,” and I picked it up too. After more than a decade, when I was in middle school, I realized that while it was nice to play classical pieces with emotion, I really wanted to try writing my own songs and singing them. So, I asked myself, “What instrument could I play while singing?” and decided on the guitar, which also led me to start writing music. Since then, I’ve been listening to bands like andymori, The Strokes, and Nirvana—and I’ve always liked K-pop idols as well.
Minori: I started playing the piano when I was about three. My grandparents had a piano at their house, and my mother had learned piano as well, so I grew up thinking, “Piano must be fun,” and that’s how I began. Around the time I finished middle school and entered high school, I started getting into bands. One of the bands I liked back then had a female bassist among the male members, and she looked so cool to me that I decided to pick up the bass myself.
How did you first come together as a band?
Minori: Hazuki and I went to the same middle and high school. Since our school didn’t have a band club, there weren’t many people who were really into music, so we naturally became close. Both of us were already playing instruments, so we thought, “Hey, we could start a band together!” I met Bori a little later—Hazuki and Bori had played together in a Nirvana cover band, and when I heard that, I thought, “We need Bori’s drumming in our band.” That’s how the three of us came together.
Bori: I lived quite far from the two of them, so I had to travel back and forth a lot just to practice. But I really wanted to be in a band, so I didn’t mind making the effort.
Hazuki: I’ve always watched bands performing on big stages, like at SWEET LOVE SHOWER, and thought to myself, “I have to be up there too.” I kept that image in my mind.
When “Musica” came out in 2022, the YouTube views climbed almost instantly. Why do you think that happened?
Minori: I honestly couldn’t believe how quickly the views climbed. Maybe it was simply because people liked the song, but I also heard from quite a few that they clicked on it because they liked the thumbnail.
Last year, you were featured on music programs like Buzz Rhythm (バズリズム) and EIGHT-JAM, which helped introduce your band to a wider audience. Then this May, you made your major label debut.
Bori: At the time, we were on our first solo tour, and that TV show happened to air while we were traveling. We actually watched it on the way back from Hokkaido, sitting at a little table on a sightseeing boat. During that tour, moving from place to place, I really started to feel that so many different people were coming out to see us. And when the TV feature aired, we also got a big response on social media. It became a great opportunity for us to get our name out to a lot more people.
Minori: Since then, we’ve had a lot more opportunities for promotion through interviews, radio, and other media.
Your first full-length album is self-titled, BRANDY SENKI. Debut albums often carry a distinctive title or a special meaning—why did you choose to make it self-titled?
Hazuki: For our first album, we included songs we’ve released up until now along with a few new tracks. It felt like an album that really shows, “This is what Brandy Senki is all about!” So, we decided to go with a self-titled name to reflect that.
As you mentioned earlier, this album feels like the culmination of your three years together. While the songs were written at different times, the record flows seamlessly as a whole. For instance, I heard that “Last Live (ラストライブ)” was one of the earliest songs you wrote.
Bori: Yes, the beginning and the intro section changed. Originally, it had a smooth build-up that rose gradually. Later, we rearranged it so that after it feels like the song ends once, the atmosphere shifts dramatically and starts again.
Minori: It was actually one of the songs we had been playing live for a long time — always in that smooth, gradual build-up version. But before we went into recording, we decided to rearrange it.
It also felt like your sound had evolved into something freer, blending elements of hip-hop, psychedelia, and electronica.
Hazuki: I thought a lot about how people who don’t know Brandy Senki at all would feel when they first listen to us. Of course, the overall narrative of the album was important too. We usually listen to a wide range of genres and try not to miss out on the sounds that feel the most exciting and fresh to us at any given moment. When we’re working on songs, we always want to capture the sound that excites us the most right now.
For example, in “Spring (春),” I found it striking how the track shifts from an almost noise-like sound to a sudden trap groove in the latter half.
Minori: That part was Hazuki’s idea, and when the three of us tried playing it together, we liked how it turned out—so we decided to keep it that way.
“Nightmarish (悪夢のような)” was a track you worked on with MONJOE, right? The sound really stood out with its strong synth-pop influence and shades of Black music. When performing it, did you approach it differently compared to your usual style?
Bori: We originally had our own arrangement in mind, but we ran into some difficulties during the process. That’s when we got help from MONJOE, and through his arrangement work, he was able to organize everything really well.
Minori: Normally, since I write most of the songs, I arrange them in a way that makes them easier for me to play live. But this time, because we asked MONJOE to handle the arrangement, he added his own bass line. There were parts I wasn’t used to playing, so it definitely felt different for me.
Bori: Usually when you play by hand, there are little variations—sometimes slightly faster, sometimes slower. But with this track, I felt I had to play as precisely as possible, almost like a machine. That’s when I realized, “This song is going to be quite a challenge.” But at the same time, it opened my eyes to a new way of playing.
In particular, “Memento Waltz (メメント・ワルツ)” seems to draw on Hazuki’s classical background. Written in 3/4 time, it carries a rhythm that sets it apart from typical pop, and its string arrangement struck me as distinctly classical.
Hazuki: Yes, that’s right. I also have some experience with Baroque music, and I really love the sound of instruments like viola, cello, and contrabass. I’ve always been especially fond of the cello, so being able to bring that sound into our music felt very rewarding. When I first made the demo, I actually saved the file under the title “Waltz.” I pictured people dancing a waltz as I was writing it, and then played it for the other two members. In the end, I think it turned out really well. Strictly speaking though, it’s not exactly a waltz. (laughs)
When it comes to your sound, song selection, and arrangements, how do you usually share and develop ideas with each other?
Minori: Sometimes Hazuki will bring us a song packed with everything he wants to try, and other times we’ll talk through the arrangement together and say, “Let’s try this.” We decide on songs and arrangements both while playing together and while working on the computer.
Hazuki: It’s the same when we’re working in the studio. Even if an idea sounds a little unusual at first, our approach is to always give it a try.
The album opens with two tracks—"The End of the F***ing World,” inspired by the British series of the same name, and “Coming-of-age Story.” Both share a detached, almost dry sound that seems to capture the sense of helplessness or emptiness often felt in one’s teens and twenties.
Hazuki: “The End of the F***ing World” is one of my favorite shows. I reinterpreted the story in my own way and turned it into a song. While staying faithful to the storyline, I also brought in my own perspective and wove it into the lyrics.
In “27:00,” the line “I want to be your mom (あなたのママになりたい)” really struck me. The ‘you’ in the lyric seems open to interpretation. To my ears, the idea of ‘mom’ suggests an absolute presence—one who accepts flaws and offers healing—which made the lyric feel like such a powerful expression of affection.
Hazuki: If in a past life I had been someone’s mother, then I would have given birth to them, raised them, and been bound by blood. That would be an incredibly strong connection—an unbreakable bond. What I wanted to express in the song was the idea of going all the way to a place that, in this life, I could never possibly reach.
In “A Box of Stockholm (ストックホルムの箱),” it feels like you’re expressing some very candid thoughts about the struggles of making music. The way I read it, the pain ultimately stems from one’s own shortcomings—and because that can feel shameful, there’s almost a sense of, “It’s better to be seen as a victim.” I also interpreted it as suggesting that, through that process, creating becomes both a reason to live and a means of making a living. What did you hope to convey with this song?
Hazuki: This song was written with Stockholm Syndrome as its theme. I took the bank robbery incident that gave the syndrome its name and wrote the lyrics from the hostage’s point of view. At the same time, I layered in different meanings so the lyrics would carry multiple interpretations. I think the way you just described it is a really great reading as well.
The word “art (芸術)” appears in the lyrics, and I felt it might be pointing to the band’s own act of creation.
Hazuki: That’s right. In that part, it’s almost as if the lyrics suddenly shift into reality.
Listening to the album as a whole, I felt a sense of flow—a journey of escapism born from self-deprecation. Along the way, the presence of “you” emerges and sparks a desire to change. I especially sensed that theme in tracks like “Fix” and “Untitled.”
Hazuki: When I write lyrics, I try to make them “beautiful to look at” even without the sound. I think that’s why they naturally end up taking on a kind of narrative flow.
And today (August 18, the day of this interview), you released your new single “Tears fall into Red Wine… (赤ワインに涙が・・・).” Its title and overall mood evoked a strong sense of Shōwa-era nostalgia. It also recalled Anzen Chitai’s classic “Wine Red no Kokoro (ワインレッドの心),” while the banjo sound in particular lent it an exotic edge.
Hazuki: We wrote this song fairly recently, after we had already finished all the tracks for the first album.
Minori: At the point when everything had been recorded except for the banjo, we were talking together and someone suggested, “What if we tried adding a banjo?” Once we did, it turned out to fit perfectly.
Where do each of you usually draw inspiration when creating music?
Hazuki: I’ve loved movies since I was young and have watched a lot of them over the years. I also read novels quite often. I don’t lift an entire story into a song, but I often take hints from memorable lines or emotions that leave an impression on me.
Minori: I’ve always been interested in geography, and I really like things like streetcars. To me, trains that run through a city best symbolize the character and charm of that place. When we go on tour, we travel through all sorts of regions, and I often ask audience members where they’re from and imagine what their hometown might be like.
Bori: I’m really into games. I’m not sure if you could call that a source of inspiration, but once you start a game, you don’t want to put it down easily. It makes me think a lot about why games draw people in so deeply and how they’re directed to create that immersion. For example, performing at our own solo show versus at a festival feels completely different. At a festival, even if there are maybe 30 of our fans up front, most of the people in the back are seeing us for the very first time. In that kind of setting, I’m always thinking about how we can shape the atmosphere—where to place certain songs in the set to create the right flow, or even, “Other bands might close their set this way, but what if we end it like this? Wouldn’t that make for a one-of-a-kind finale?”
Naturally, a solo concert and a festival performance feel quite different. How do you approach planning your setlist for each?
Bori: I usually put together a draft setlist with the feeling I’d like it to have, and then we refine it together, asking each other, “Wouldn’t this work better?” Of course, it’s always great to build up the energy on stage—it makes the show more exciting to watch. But we’ve also agreed that we don’t want to force the audience into having fun. Instead, we think carefully about how to create a flow that allows people to get carried away naturally—where to bring the energy up, how to close it, whether to keep pushing forward or raise it even higher. We take into account everything: the type of audience, the stage setup, the weather, the time slot, even the lighting. It feels amazing when all those conditions line up with our intention.
You recently wrapped up your solo tour. How did it feel to finish it?
Hazuki: The scale of this tour was bigger than our previous solo shows, and in many ways it was a challenge for us. But at every concert, I was able to put my heart into the performance, and that leaves me with a real sense of pride.
Minori: Because the scale had grown so much, I honestly felt some anxiety at first. But the audience responded with such joy and energy. Fans of all kinds came to every show, and seeing that made me genuinely happy. It felt like our music was truly connecting with people.
Bori: After the very first show, I felt like the goal had come into view. There was a real sense of satisfaction in being able to enjoy it fully, but at the same time, I wanted to carry that energy all the way to the final performance and take it even higher. Throughout the tour, I played with the mindset that we should finish at the very top—in both quality and overall impact.
During your performances, have you ever felt the audience interpreting your intentions differently from what you originally meant? I imagine live shows make you confront those kinds of reactions more directly.
Hazuki: As the one writing the lyrics, I’ve had that experience many times. Even back when we had only released a few songs, I remember thinking, “I wrote this so clearly, and yet people interpret it completely differently!” Because of that, my approach to lyrics started to shift—I began trying to write in a way that was a little more straightforward.
Lastly, could you share how you’re feeling ahead of your upcoming stage at Pentaport and the recently announced year-end solo concert in Korea?
Minori: Korea has always been a country I really wanted to visit, so I’m truly happy that we finally get to come this time. It honestly felt like, “We’re finally going to Korea! Wow!” Up until now, we’ve mostly performed in Japan, so standing on stage in Korea will definitely feel different. I think it’ll be a chance to meet so many people seeing us for the first time. I just hope our music reaches the Korean audience well, and I’m really excited to meet everyone.
Hazuki: I feel the same. Since everything about this experience is new for us, I honestly can’t imagine how it will turn out—but I’m both thrilled and nervous. More than anything, I hope we can deliver our music with sincerity. I’m really looking forward to it!