Although many Japanese indie bands find it a struggle breaking into overseas markets, Tokyo's Jesse Ruins have always seemed to strike a chord among both international and domestic listeners alike.
The trio's distinctive brand of dreamy pop — laden with sentimental synth melodies and haunting, ethereal vocals — seems to transcend any geographical reference points. Their first single "Dream Analysis" in particular brought Jesse Ruins a lot of sudden attention. Following a pair of EPs on British and American record labels (Double Denim and Captured Tracks) in 2011 and 2012, they have just released their proper debut album, "A Film," which also happens to be the first of their releases to receive domestic distribution, via Japanese label P-Vine.
"I think it's an opportunity for lots of (Japanese) listeners to hear us for the first time," says Nobuyuki Sakuma, who started Jesse Ruins as a solo project before later recruiting vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Naho Imajima and guitarist Yosuke Tsuchida. The result is that the richness of their recordings is now matched by their live performances, which they recently displayed in Niigata and Kyoto as part of a Japan tour.