Tokyo-Brit punk outfit
STRAIGHT BACK FORWARD released their debut single
Don't Back Down / Haunted Home digitally worldwide via British label JPU Records on October 3rd.
Links to download and stream
Don't Back Down / Haunted Home on various music platforms are available
here.
STRAIGHT BACK FORWARD's line-up pairs a number of familiar faces from the Japanese punk scene with London-born vocalist
Joshua, who some may know from the reggae-punk band
NEATZ. The line-up features
FULLSCRATCH,
the HIATUS and
Radiots
guitarist
masasucks, ex-
MY FIRST STORY drummer
Masack, and support from
GUMX bassist
Yoshi and guitarists
T_Wylde and
Sugulu, the latter of whom is a punk club organiser and okonomiyaki shop owner.
masasucks is the group's
chief songwriter, with
Joshua providing lyrics.
Joshua commented:
"
STRAIGHT BACK FORWARD came about out of a shared love of punk rock between two guys from opposite sides of the world.
Don’t Back Down is kind of just about that, getting on stage, raised fists and playing anthems to the people who love the
same music we do. Doesn’t matter if you’re Japanese, British or anything, the music makes us who we are."
masasucks commented:
"This release takes us back to our roots, a reminder of the punk rock scene from the 90s. Hopefully this reaches a new audience and inspires another generation to keep the flame alive and to never back down!"
Despite forming during the height of the global pandemic in 2020,
STRAIGHT BACK FORWARD's independently released demo in 2025 gained international attention from underground labels and media, paving the way for their official debut on JPU Records.
Stream
Don't Back Down / Haunted Home on Spotify:
