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Bialystocks

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bialystocks
OriginJapan
GenresPop
Years active2019–present
LabelIrori
Members
  • Sora Hokimoto
  • Go Kikuchi
Past members
  • Hirofumi Shimizu
  • Taiichiro Mura
Websitebialystocks.com

Bialystocks (Hepburn: Biarisutokkusu) are a Japanese pop music band formed in 2019, made up of vocalist Sora Hokimoto and keyboardist Go Kikuchi. They are signed to Irori Records, a label under Pony Canyon.

History

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2019–2021: Formation and Bialystocks

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Vocalist Sora Hokimoto at the 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival. Bialystocks were originally formed to perform songs from his feature-length film, Haruneko (2016), at a 2019 event.

Sora Hokimoto, who studied threate and film at the Tama Art University,[1] first met keyboardist Go Kikuchi at a music studio in Kabukichō via the introduction of a mutual friend. According to Hokimoto, this first meeting was "awkward", but he had a casual thought that they could work on something together in the future.[2] In 2016, Hokimoto released his debut feature-length film Haruneko, which also featured him singing in certain scenes. When appearing at an event in 2019, he assembled multiple backing bands to perform the film's songs live. One of these bands consisted of the same musicians who played on the original score, but for another Hokimoto contacted Kikuchi, who assembled a group of musicians. Although they had only assembled to perform songs from the film at this event, they decided to take the opportunity to record a few original songs.[1]

At the time of founding, the band consisted of vocalist Hokimoto, keyboardist Kikuchi, guitarist Hirofumi Shimizu, and drummer Taiichiro Mura.[3] They were named Bialystocks after the main character of The Producers (1967), a black comedy film which Kikuchi has cited as the earliest influence on his creativity.[4] They released their first digital single, "Emptyman", on June 19, 2019, and their self-titled debut album Bialystocks on February 17, 2021.[5] The album's song "I Don't Have a Pen" was later used in web commercials for NTT Docomo.[6]

2022–2024: Quicksand and Songs for the Cryptids

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After the release of their first album, according to Hokimoto, differing opinions within the band led the other members to depart the group, leaving Bialystocks as a two-man act of himself and Kikuchi.[7] With this line-up, they released their debut EP, Tide Pool, in January 2022.[8] In May, they released their song "Sashiiro", which was written as the ending theme to the television drama Sensei no Otoriyose.[9] Bialystocks also recorded the titular theme song for Hokimoto's second film, Hadaka no Yume, and performed live at its day-one screening.[10][11] In October, they signed with Irori Records, a label under Pony Canyon, for their first major-label album Quicksand, which was released on November 30, 2022.[12] It reached number 62 on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart[13] and was promoted with a three-show tour in 2023, which Natalie reported was sold out.[14]

The band's third album, Songs for the Cryptids was released on October 2, 2024.[15]

2025–present: Fourth album

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On July 15, 2026, Bialystocks performed to an audience of 10,000 at the Nippon Budokan. On the same day, they announced that their fourth album, still untitled, would be released within the year.[16]

Artistry

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Takuto Ueda, writing for Billboard Japan, described the album Quicksand as a "border-crossing" pop record that shows influence from Kikuchi's roots in jazz, as well as elements of soul, folk, rock, ambient, and electronic music.[17] Songs for the Cryptids was also described as a pop album by Mikiki's Mayumi Tsuchida, who wrote that the tracks included soul pop and Beatles-esque rock, and that Hokimoto's voice exhibited the "clarity of gospel" with the "warmth of folk".[18] In a review of the EP Tide Pool for Barks, Koichi Shima, noting both members shared interest in film, wrote about the influence of musicals on their "visual lyrics and sound", such as on the opening tracks "Over Now" and "All Too Soon".[8] In Kikuchi's own opinion, his compositions sometimes borrow elements from American music whilst Hokimoto's vocals serve to provide a more Japanese sound.[2]

Band members

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Principal members
  • Sora Hokimoto (甫木元 空, Hokimoto Sora) – vocals (2019–present)
  • Go Kikuchi (菊池 剛, Kikuchi Gō) – keyboards (2019–present)
Early members
  • Hirofumi Shimizu (清水 大史, Shimizu Hirofumi) – guitar (2019–c. 2021)
  • Taiichiro Mura (武良 泰一郎, Mura Taiichirō) – drums (2019–c. 2021)

Discography

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Studio albums
  • Bialystocks (2021)
  • Quicksand (2022)
  • Songs for the Cryptids (2024)
  • Untitled (2026)

Awards

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List of awards and nominations
Award Year Category Recipient Result Ref.
CD Shop Awards 2023 Shikoku Regional Award Quicksand Won [19]

References

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  1. 1 2 Bialystocks・甫木元空が振り返る表現者としての原点 [Bialystocks' Sora Hokimoto Looks Back on His Roots as a Creator]. Natalie (in Japanese). May 19, 2025. Archived from the original on October 25, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  2. 1 2 【インタビュー】「人々が群がる反対側で何が起きているのか」――優しい眼差しに満ちた音楽ですべての心に寄り添うBialystocks。大躍進のツアー中、そのライブヒストリーと最新曲"Branches"を語る [Interview: "What's Happening on the Opposite Side of the Flocks of People?" — Admist Their Rapid Tour, Bialystocks Talk Their Newest Song "Branches"]. Rockin'On Japan (in Japanese). August 1, 2023. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ Bialystocks プロフィール [Bialystocks Profile]. CDJournal [ja] (in Japanese). n.d. Archived from the original on September 5, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  4. ↑ 「映画」「水草」が音楽制作の原動力、夏フェス出演が続くバンド・Bialystocksの正体 [Musically Fueled by Films and Water Plants, The Truth Behind Bialystocks—The Band Who Continue to Appear at Summer Festivals]. Yahoo! News Japan (in Japanese). August 17, 2023. Archived from the original on August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Discography". bialystocks.com (in Japanese). n.d. Archived from the original on May 19, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  6. ↑ Bialystocks、NTTドコモ「Quadratic Playground」WEB CMソングを担当 [Bialystocks In Charge of Song for NTT Dokomo's "Quadratic Playground" Web Commercial]. Barks [ja] (in Japanese). October 20, 2021. Archived from the original on August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  7. ↑ <インタビュー>Bialystocks、二人のルーツがソフランエアリスCMソング「頬杖」に繋がるまで [Interview: How Bialystocks' Roots Connect to the Soflan Airis CM Song "Hozue"]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). n.d. Archived from the original on January 10, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Shima, Koichi (February 15, 2022). Bialystocks、映像的な詞とサウンドで満たされた1stEP『Tide Pool』 [Bialystocks Deliver Visual Lyrics and Sound in 1st EP Tide Pool]. Barks [ja] (in Japanese). Archived from the original on August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bialystocks、ドラマ『先生のおとりよせ』書き下ろしEDテーマ「差し色」リリース　ジャケット写真公開 [Bialystocks Releases Sensei no Otoriyose Ending Theme "Sashiiro", Unveils Cover Artwork]. CDJournal [ja] (in Japanese). April 8, 2022. Archived from the original on August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ 「はだかのゆめ」新予告、監督・甫木元空がボーカル務めるBialystocksの劇中歌を使用 [New Trailer for Hadaka no Yume Includes Song from Director Sora Hokimoto's Band Bialystocks]. Natalie (in Japanese). November 23, 2021. Archived from the original on April 12, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  11. ↑ 甫木元空の映画「はだかのゆめ」公開初日にBialystocksが生演奏「音楽と一緒に広がってほしい」 [Bialystocks Perform Live at Premiere Screening Event for Sora Okimoto's Film Hadaka no Yume: "We Hope It Will Spread Together with Music"]. Natalie (in Japanese). November 28, 2021. Archived from the original on March 15, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ Bialystocksが新アルバムでポニーキャニオン・IRORI Recordsよりメジャーデビュー [Bialystocks to Make Major Debut via Pony Canyon's Irori Records with New Album]. Natalie (in Japanese). October 2, 2022. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Bialystocks Chart History (Hot Albums)". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). n.d. Retrieved August 4, 2026. Select Hot Albums on the dropdown menu under 週間チャート
  14. ↑ Bialystocks、満員のリキッドを熱気で包んだ「Quicksand」ツアーファイナル [Bialystocks Fill Full Capacity Liquidroom with Excitement in Quicksand Tour Finale]. Natalie (in Japanese). February 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  15. ↑ Bialystocks、3rdアルバム『Songs for the Cryptids』リリース　ジャケ写＆新アー写公開も [Bialystocks to Release 3rd Album Songs for the Cryptids, Unveils Cover Artwork and New Artist Visual]. Real Sound [ja] (in Japanese). August 6, 2024. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  16. ↑ Bialystocksが年内に4thアルバムリリース、12月から自身最大規模ホールツアー [Bialystocks to Release 4th Album Within the Year, Announces Their Largest Hall Tour Thus Far Starting December]. Natalie (in Japanese). July 15, 2026. Archived from the original on August 5, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  17. ↑ Ueda, Takuto (March 8, 2023). <ライブレポート>流砂のように動き続ける、Bialystocksの止め処ない可能性を確信させた一夜 [Live Report: A Night That Confirmed the Unending Possibilities of Bialystocks, Who Continue to Shift Like Quicksand]. Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  18. ↑ Tsuchida, Mayumi (November 20, 2024). Bialystocks『Songs for the Cryptids』磨き抜かれた清水の如き透明感と瑞々しさが普遍性を湛えた職人技のポップス集 [Bialystocks' Songs for the Cryptids Is a Collection of Polished Pop Songs with the Clarity and Freshness of Spring Water]. Mikiki (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 13, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  19. ↑ 『CDショップ大賞』"神アルバム"＜赤＞は藤井風、新人部門＜青＞は羊文学が大賞 [Fujii Kaze Wins Best Album "Red" Prize, Hitsujibungaku Wins Best Newcomer "Blue" Prize at the CD Shop Awards]. Oricon News (in Japanese). March 2, 2023. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
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