, stylized as ZUTOMAYO, is a Japanese rock group that debuted in 2018. Secretive by nature, the group has never released a full member list, crediting different people for music, arrangements, and music video production each time. The only member reoccurring in all of the group's output is the vocalist, an unidentified woman named . Despite the little information released, the group is commercially successful. Zutomayo's three EP's have reached 8th, 1st, and 2nd on the

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon Albu ...

, respectively. The group was also invited to perform at the 2019 Fuji Rock Festival a year after their debut.

Style

Aside from ACA-Ne, the vocalist, it is unclear how many people are in the band. ACA-Ne has never revealed her face, and the band have performed behind a translucent screen during concerts, including at the 2019 Fuji Rock Festival. Many have pointed to Zutomayo's secrecy regarding its members contributing towards its popularity. In more recent performances however, other members of the band have been less secretive, choosing to show their faces. Zutomayo typically produces rock music, often featuring intricate, funk-inspired basslines. ACA-Ne's voice has been described as "energetic", "expressive", and "delicate".

History

The group debuted with the release of their first song, , via YouTube on June 4, 2018. The song became an immediate hit, garnering 200,000 views within the first week. Additionally, after being released on streaming platforms on August 30, the song became the most streamed song in Japan that week. Following the song's release, Zutomayo held their first concert at Daikanyama Loop in Tokyo. Attendees were handed opaque glasses and reported that the entire venue was dark for the concert's duration. The group would continue to conceal their identities in future concerts. Zutomayo released two more singles digitally before releasing their first EP, , on November 14 through

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...

. The EP reached 8th on the

and was nominated in the 19th CD Shop Awards. On June 5, 2019, a second EP was released titled , which topped the Oricon chart. The group's first full-length album, , was released on October 30 of the same year. The song "Darken" was used in the live-action film '' The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window'', and "Hypersomnia" is also featured in the film. The group released on February 10, 2021, featuring songs "One's Mind", "Can't Be Right", "STUDY ME", "Hunch Gray", "Have a", "Engine Oil", "Darken", "Milabo", "Loneliness", "Crop", "Hypersomnia", "Fastening", and "Inner Heart". In October 2022, the group provided the second ending theme, , for the anime '' Chainsaw Man''.

Discography

As of June 2023, Zutomayo has released four EPs and three full-length albums. Some songs contained in these albums were released digitally before the album's release.

Studio albums

Extended plays

Compilation extended plays

Singles

Promotional singles

References

External links

* {{Authority control Musical groups established in 2018 2018 establishments in Japan Japanese pop music groups Japanese rock music groups EMI Records artists Universal Music Japan artists Female-fronted musical groups