Punk is another sound that dominates the Japanese underground music scene. In every town in the country you can be sure to find at least one punk band. In places like Tokyo and Osaka punk rockers proliferate like rabbit children. With so many punk bands around it’s hard to get noticed. However, THE ZUTAZUTAZ stick out like a rusty nail. Before anyone can hammer them down they are more likely to get hammered by THE ZUTAZUTAZ’s barrage of power chords. This is the sound of Shimokitaza, an area of Tokyo that is teaming with underground music venues and punk rock bands. I am not sure if they are from there, but an educated guess tells me they are no strangers to the neighborhood.
Japanese contemporary music is a blending of world cultures. You can hear the British influence in their Sex Pistolesque growl and also the New Yorky quirk of the Ramones that calls for us to beat on the skinny little brat within ourselves with a baseball bat. Add to that the wild rebel style of Tokyo and THE ZUTAZUTAZ perfectly capture part of what it sounds like to be in the Japanese underground.