Japanese instrumental post-rock band MYY. returns for 2nd Korea tour

A live performance by MYY. / Courtesy of MYY.

The Japanese instrumental band MYY. is returning for its second Korea tour this weekend.

Stylized as MYY. (pronounced "mi"), the band takes its name from a character from the Finnish Moomins character of Pikku Myy (Little My in English). The name originally arose because one of the original members resembled the character, although she has since left the band.

MYY. is known in underground scenes across Asia for its intense post-rock sound, featuring no vocals and no bass.

Hiroshi Kambara, the main member of MYY., said he was inspired to create the band because of other post-rock bands like Mono and Explosions in the Sky.

"I was inspired by their ability to convey powerful emotions without relying on lyrics," he told The Korea Times. "I wanted to capture the essence of a wordless scream, similar to what I experienced when listening to their music."

He added that he isn't focused exclusively on instrumental music at the moment. "If I feel the urge to sing, I won't hesitate to do so," he said. "I believe that there are endless possibilities for musical expression, and I'm open to exploring all avenues."

Before MYY., Kambara has played in various punk and hardcore bands in Japan.

"I'm not particularly fascinating, but I've had some interesting musical experiences," he said, probably a little too humbly. "While I didn't contribute to the songwriting process in those bands, I gained valuable experience as a guitarist."

This led him to start his own project, MYY., in 2017.

"MYY. is unique in that it's the first band where I've been able to express myself creatively through songwriting. Being able to write my own music has been an incredibly rewarding experience, and it's allowed me to explore new avenues of musical expression," he said.

In the beginning, MYY. was mainly Kambara's personal project, and there were frequent lineup changes. However, they have settled on a lineup of three members, one which Kambara hopes to maintain for the foreseeable future.

Although they typically play as a trio, for this tour to Korea they're bringing along a fourth member, playing synth. However, Kambara emphasizes that the band will still function primarily as a two-guitarist, one-drummer band. The other band members include Masatoshi Tanaka on rhythm guitar, and drums by Lee Chang-hee, an ethnic Korean born in Japan.

A live photo of MYY. performing / Courtesy of MYY.

Many of the band's songs exceed 10 minutes, with performances lasting between 45 and 60 minutes.

"When I first started MYY., I was only allotted 25 to 30 minutes of stage time at venues. As a result, I often found myself playing only two songs before running out of time," Kambara said. "Interestingly, despite the limited number of songs, the audience never seemed to notice. They would often comment on how much they enjoyed the third song, unaware that we had only performed two. This experience made me realize that the length of our songs wasn't necessarily a concern for our audience."

He added that he doesn't necessarily set out to create such long songs. "Instead, I let the music flow and develop organically," he said. "While some songs may be shorter in the future, and others longer, it ultimately depends on my creative instincts at the time."

He also avoided saying what these songs are about, as he sees the interpretation of music as subjective and open to individual perceptions.

"I don't find it necessary to explicitly convey the meaning of a song to the audience. Instead, I embrace the idea that each listener will interpret the music in their own way. For example, one person may find a song cheerful, while another may perceive it as dark and sad. This diversity of interpretations adds depth and richness to the listening experience," he said.

"While a song may have a title that offers a hint of its theme or mood, the true meaning of the song is often a personal and intimate experience that only the creator knows. Ultimately, I aim to create music that resonates with people on an emotional level, allowing them to find their own meaning within it."

He added that the songs do have meaning to him, even if he might not put them into words.

"Writing songs and performing live is a way for me to reflect and connect with myself," he said. "I'm connecting with another part of myself, like my inner child."

He spoke fondly of the band's tour last year to Korea, for which they played two Seoul shows at the clubs Bbang and Strange Fruit, both located near Hongik University. He also praised the local bands MYY. played with, which included Beacon and Desert Flower.

"The shows in Seoul last year were truly special for us," he said. "It was our second overseas tour as MYY., following our debut in Taiwan in 2020. This time, performing with the current lineup felt like a significant milestone for the band."

A photo taken in a street during MYY.'s Taiwan tour in 2020. Courtesy of MYY.

One of the people who saw them last year was Yoon Ki-sun from the local punk label Victim Records, which opened the music venue Club Victim late last year. He offered to bring MYY. back for a second tour, which includes his own venue as well as Club SHARP in nearby Mangwon-dong, also primarily a punk club.

"Regardless of whether it's a punk club or any other venue, we always strive to give our best performance," Kambara said. "Our commitment to our expression and emotional delivery remains unchanged.

MYY. will appear at Club Victim this Saturday, performing with Korean bands Pakk, Asian Chairshot and Sunn-Row & We Da Band. The doors open at 6 p.m.

The next show will start at 5 p.m. on Sunday at Club SHARP, with Row Brothers, Idiots, Punk on Fire, re:nier, Quite Nice Noise, Syntapunk and Ordinary Joe with Cecile.

Both shows cost 30,000 won.

“We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity to return to Korea and perform for our fans," Kambara said. "We approach each show with the same dedication and passion. We're excited to connect with our fans in Korea once again and share our music with them."

Visit myymusic.bandcamp.com to sample the band's sound, or go to fbcom/lhmom.7 for more information, or follow @victimrecords on Instagram.