The Universe of betcover!!: Giving a New Meaning to Japan’s Youth
Angsty music is getting increasingly concentrated in the Japanese music scene, in order to express the constrictions of this ambiguous society. Expressing frustrations is not often accepted, so art is a perfect way to disrobe negative emotions. The band betcover!! is on the front line of this movement with its catchy yet sullen tunes.
This band was formed by Jiro Yanase, a singer-songwriter based in Tokyo. Born in 1999 in Tokyo, he was brought into the world of music when he got a vintage digital recording system from a friend of his father. His artistic career sprouted in middle school, and he released his first EP at the age of 18, in 2017. This created the foundation for the indie rock band.
What makes the band betcover!! noteworthy is the music they perform at live performances: the original songs with a soothing melody shifts to a more aggressive tone, creating a completely different perspective of the lyrics. This mood transition feels intuitive to the band members and hence adds to their unpredictability and uniqueness.
Its music takes you to another dimension as if it is something out of a fantasy novel. The song “Iseijin” is a good example. The lyrics are dark and eerie, yet charmingly poetic. As the title of the song suggests in Japanese, betcover!! sings about an alien. The setting of the song is unusual if not a little funky, but fans know that it’s not just about an extraterrestrial story. Sentimental messages and lessons learned are shared through the murky and instrumental songs, reflecting realism.
Though they are categorized as indie rock, betcover!! is hard to box into one genre as they grab influences from everywhere, and a single song can take multiple shapes depending on how it is played. It definitely transcends time, which has made a significant impression on Japan’s youth.
betcover!! is for people who struggle to live in a modern society, for the people who don’t know how to unbottle their feelings, boiling courage in them in order to refuse to stay complacent.
