Spring 2020 was shaping up to be a busy period for Fukuoka rock quartet Yonawo (usually stylized as yonawo). Ahead of its first major-label mini album, “Lobster” the band had domestic shows and festival spots to look forward to, along with a trip to Texas for the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival.
Then, a global pandemic wiped out those plans and threw future Japan dates into question, too.
“What are you gonna do?” says guitarist Yuya Saito. It’s a fittingly placid answer from a group gaining momentum thanks to the breezy pace of its songs. The band — consisting of Saito, vocalist and primary composer Shota Aratani, bassist Satoshi Tanaka and drummer Takafumi Nomoto, all in their 20s — represents a third wave of mid-tempo rock-pop that often unfolds in no particular rush, reflecting a desire to chill from Japan’s young adults.