The fans of Makoto Shinkai movies Your Name and Weathering with You would be familiar with RADWIMPS, the Japanese rock band that provided memorable soundtracks for each film. As a collective, the band has been making notable and award-winning compositions, but the members individually are also quite the talented bunch. Yojiro Noda, RADWIMPS’ frontman, began his journey as a solo singer just last month!

Yojiro Noda released his first solo album, WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB, on September 25, 2024. This album contains 13 tracks drawn from his personal experiences. Yojiro Noda collaborated with rapper kZm and J.I.D. for two of these tracks. Pre-released tracks like “EVERGREEN feat. kZm,” “LAST LOVE LETTER,” “PAIN KILLER,” and “KATATOKI ft J.I.D” were included in the album. 

To make the album release more special, Yojiro Noda teamed up with Posaku Demizu to create the original artwork of ‘AKUMU-KUN.’ This artwork will be featured on a T-shirt with a limited edition CD. Posaku Demizu is popularly known for his work, The Promised Neverland. Fans from overseas can buy official merch for Yojiro Noda’s first solo album, WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB, here.

As a member of RADWIMPS, Yojiro Noda often takes part in writing and composing the tracks. He displayed his writing skills in this solo debut album as well. The album draws heavily on the rock and trap genres. Each song has a different shade when it comes to the narrative style, singing and overall composition. Each track reflects a new side to Yojiro Noda’s artistry like never before. After being active in the music industry for over two decades, Yojiro Noda continues to reinvent himself as an artist. While we see his old styles in the album, we also see a variation in his music as he sings about raw and unfiltered emotions. In addition to being a proficient musician, Yojiro Noda has also tried his hands at acting. He has appeared in slice-of-life melodramas like Pieta in a Toilet. 

What do you think about Yojiro Noda’s first solo album, WONDER BOY’S AKUMU CLUB? Tell us in the comments below or connect with us over Instagram or X.

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Edited by Divina Aloisa Tolentino