Daiki Tsuneta has ambitions, and he makes that clear in every project he takes part in. His band King Gnu has become one of 2019’s biggest hit acts, with a spot on the NHK year-end bonanza Kouhaku Uta Gassen being the cherry on top to a 12-month stretch seeing more mainstream attention and huge numbers on streaming services. Then there’s his more electronic-leaning millennium parade project. He’s been playing around with all kinds of ideas in that one, trying to reach out to listeners well beyond Japan with a skittery and at times warped sound. Following a show in Liquidroom earlier this Spring, Tsuneta recently leveled up with a show at Studio Coast in Tokyo.
Following that sold-out live show in the capital, millennium parade shared a new number titled “lost and found.” Watch the video for this cut below.
For those trying to get a grasp on just where Tsuneta stands at the moment in terms of commercial viability, “lost and found” functions as a collaboration between millennium parade and Dior. Not an easy brand to hook up with!
That’s some nice context for millenium parade’s current place in the J-pop pecking order, but you really don’t need to think too much about that when zeroing in on “lost and found.” After months of experimenting, Tsuneta’s latest finds millennium parade returning to a formula that helped break them out in the first place. He calls on ermhoi of the group Black Boboi to provide vocals over a skittering beat accented by some harp notes. The song never stabilizes, opting instead for constant mutation and an eventual crash that amps up the emotional drama. Yet it also isn’t a rough listen, with plenty of catchy elements to grab on to, even if most of them seem to be shifting right in front of you. It’s fittingly ambitious.