Ap(r)il

Ap(r)il is a new visual band that represents a fairly mild form of oshare kei both in looks and sound. Their music is very unconventional in some ways, presenting an alternative to the traditional oshare sound by producing an alternate realm rooted in naturalness. The refrains have initially unpredictable, even counter-intuitive melodies (sometimes leading to criticism of the adventurous Hinata), and while their songs are upbeat, they are often infused with an energetic optimism backed by sad or pain-laced tones.

Ap(r)il was formed on April 1st 2008 with vocalist Hinata, guitarists Ryou and Hiro, Show on bass, and Hisato on drums. Wasting no time, they had their first live at Takadanobaba AREA on May 15 and participated in an omnibus, HYSTERIC MEDIA ZONE V.A 8, which was released on May 21.

October 8th saw the release of their first maxi-single, (r)ush life. Their first one-man live HAVE a FUN!!! was held in Shinjuku on December 19th, where their second maxi-single (r)everb was available and went on sale to the general public a few days later.

2009 is proving to be an eventful year for the band. March 11th saw the release of their third maxi-single, NOT BEAUTIFUL WORLD, whose title track is, surprisingly, a ballad. On April 1st, which marked one year since their formation, Ap(r)il teamed up with Bergerac and ALiBi for a three-man live to celebrate Ap(r)il’s fourth maxi-single, WORLD IS MYSELF. On May 15th Ap(r)il had their second one-man live, Acceleration!!.

Ap(r)il was also featured on a European compilation album, j-visual[ism] 2, which JaME held a poll for to determine which bands would be featured. Ap(r)il made it into the rankings as one of the most popular bands among Western visual kei fans. The album was released in May 2009.