Formed in 2002 in Osaka, eseroman was first a copy band of Ruins. The group became particularly active in the Kansai region and they self-produced their first album. In a few years they had surrounded themselves with a tight nucleus of fans, including Yasushi Yoshida from SUSPIRIA, Oshiripenpenz and the wild guys from Outdoor Homeless.
Eventually, Zeuhl influences were digested, mulled over and brought into fruition. The members came and went within the structure, each nourished by his experience and personality. The brew then took on a beauty of madness and nonconformism. eseroman's second album, elenpywo, released in June of 2009, was modeled after this new musical identity: rough like a pumice stone yet elusive like a wet bar of soap.
eseroman (from the kanji 似非浪漫) translates crudely to "Imitation Romance" - crudely because there's no direct translation, and you'd be hard pressed to find even a Japanese person who understands the phrase.
Rock, punk, jazz and reggae are all put into the eseroman process and churned out neatly on the other side. The group plays on antagonisms and covers their tracks. The compositions are progressive but remain surprisingly dense, and the incessant breaks and changes in the rhythm are striking without being overwhelming. Raw and oily, the constant energy smells unmistakably of testosterone but without stinging your nose.