tricot

Kyoto all-female math rock trio Tricot create tightly controlled chaos, balancing frenetic rhythms and guitar work with an accessible pop core and sweet, high-pitched, melodic vocals. They crossed over to Western indie audiences despite singing solely in Japanese, making them one of the few acts to do so. Taking their name from the French word for knitting, the band was formed in 2010 by vocalist/guitarist Ikumi "Ikkyu" Nakajima, guitarist Motoko "Motifour" Kida, and bassist Hiromi "Hirohiro" Sagane, who had all played in school music clubs and met through their membership in various bands on the local scene. (Their first album featured drummer Kazutaka Komaki, but he left after its release; the band did not replace him, relying on session drummers for future albums.) Influenced by Japanese artists like Shiina Ringo, Acidman, and Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, and older Western acts such as the Eagles and Earth, Wind & Fire, they claimed to have no knowledge of math rock and no interest in any particular genre or scene, just playing whatever they wanted (they self-deprecatingly described their music as “jumbled rock”). After positive responses to early tracks they released on the internet, they decided to start their own label, Bakuretsu (“Explosion”). They went on to self-release all their albums on the label, enjoying the creative freedom of not being beholden to a big record company. After minor success with their first three EPs, their 2013 debut album, T H E, gave them their first big hit, entering the Oricon chart at number 18. Its follow-up, 2015′s A N D, was championed by NME, leading to increased global interest boosted by a string of eye-catching music videos. The band toured the U.S., then Europe with the Pixies, playing at several major festivals. Capitalizing on the international fan base they’d built touring, they partnered with an overseas label for the first time for their 2017 album 3. The album was released in the U.K. through Big Scary Monsters and in the U.S. through Topshelf Records. ~ John D. Buchanan