A new all-female symphonic rock band “Shoyoteki Ongakushuudan AsMR“, or AsMR for short, emerges with a unique member lineup you’ve never seen before! With secondary roles such as “whisperer” and “scratching noise maker”, the four-piece band is set up to create an auditory sensation. Hence the tagline “Shoyoteki Ongakushuudan” which translates to “Whispering and vibrating music”.
But perhaps the most interesting part for visual kei fans might be that we surprisingly find RookieFiddler as the sound producer, the former violinist for the now-disbanded band A(Ace). This might partly explain why there’s a big focus on the emotional violins that we’re able to enjoy in the six released songs so far.
The band “AsMR”
With band announcement teasers showing up in late June 2021, the four-piece symphonic rock band, AsMR, was officially formed on July 1, 2021—based on the band’s specified birthday on Twitter. They started releasing music and performing concerts in the same year.
Regards to the cryptic band name, it stands for “Awaken savaged Music Receptor”. We often see it being described by several other components as well that create the same initials, which you can see in the quote below (read the initials on the second line backward):
Awaken savaged Music Receptor
Roseate Mad Supremacy Apec
As Mashup Rockes
While there are no official sources stating the case, the name “AsMR” seems to be a play on what we normally refer to as “ASMR”, the Auto Sensory Meridian Response which describes a tingling sensation. Other than that, in the quote, we can find references to the band’s record label name too, “MASHUP RECORDS“.
The whispering and vibrating music
The foundation of the band relies on the roles of pianist, violinist, bassist, and guitarist. On top of these positions, the members partake in secondary roles that stimulate the listening experience, like voice acting, whispering, scratching noise, and roaring sound.
As for how the music is put together, all of the compositions so far are credited under RookieFiddler. In the lyrics department, you’ll find vocalist and pianist Milli, and bassist Ayaka, appearing in the credits.
Before introducing the band members in detail, let’s have a listen to AsMR’s music to get a sense of what the band is all about. Allowing us to see how they incorporate these unconventional characteristics to bring new impulses to the world.
Beginning with the sentimental song Saturated World, then the dynamic Shinkan Screamer, and ending with the sorrowful Tremolo.
The unique member lineup
We previously mentioned how the band consists of the roles of pianist, violinist, bassist, and guitarist—plus their secondary roles. Now let’s look at how they correspond to each member.
We should probably clarify one thing first, while the members are represented by illustrations, they aren’t actually hiding their real identities. You will find them active in other projects where their faces are revealed, such as in other bands or even as voice actors and models.
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- AsMR, from left to right: Ayaka, Milli, Eschika, and Gina.@amane_utata
The band illustration of AsMR was created by Amane Utata.
Ayaka
Roles: bass, whisper, lyrics.
Ayaka started playing bass several years ago because she thought it looked cool, and later started a band with her friends. In 2019, she became the bassist and vocalist of the literary youth punk band “OTAYA“.
She participated as a voice actress for various works, while at the same time working as a music composer for anime and games. You’ll find her voice in the TV Tokyo anime “Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories” from seasons seven to nine. In addition, she also participated in the anime “Ninja Collection“, and in “Peter Grill and the Philosopher’s Time” as Missy Peregrym.
Milli
Roles: vocals, piano, lyrics.
Milli started playing the piano from the age of two and studied classical music at a music high school and music college. After graduating, she became a support member for a music TV show and also a pianist and vocalist for the retro pop band “TOKYO SUIZOKUCAN“. Branching out even further, Milli works as a model and appears in various advertisements and promotional materials.
Eschika
Roles: violin, scratching noise.
Eschika is part of the band Amiliyah, partaking as an elf warrior (violinist), together with an exiled princess, and other fantasy beings. In her early childhood, in the village of elves, she practiced a musical instrument similar to the violin which eventually led her to become an expert in violin.
As a versatile violinist, she can not only play the classical violin but also the rock violin, and the fiddle. Without being tied to any particular style, she is able to perform various genres of music.
In the human world, she deeply loves the English rock band MUSE, the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Ros, and the German classical music composer Bach.
Gina
Roles: guitar, roaring sound.
In elementary school, Gina got interested in playing guitar through an advertisement in a magazine. Currently, she is also active in the female rock band “BabBubble“.
Judging by the music we’ve seen so far, we’ve taken quite a liking to AsMR and hope to see even more releases soon! It somewhat reminds us of the doujin circle Shoujo Byou that incorporates fantasy and storytelling in their music.
Have a look below to explore the rest of AsMR’s music that is available today.
- AWAKE
- Saturated World
- Snow drop
- Shinkan Screamer震撼SCREAMER
- Raimei Infester雷命INFESTER
- Tremoloトレモロ