Japan

Certainly a first for PEV, Chatmonchy boasts an all-girl rock outfit, fresh from the mainstream of Japan (and for those of you as ignorant as me – Chatmonchy actually doesn’t mean a damn thing). Mainstream isn’t exactly the best word to describe the success of Eriko, Akiko and Kumiko – just read this insane timeline. They hit the scene in 2004, and by 2005 Sony Music Japan had gotten a hold of them, releasing their debut EP, “Chatmonchy has Come” through Sony's Ki/oon Records.

Hiro, Kayo, Fumi and Yano – the makeup of POLYSICS – the group that has been putting the face on new wave music in Japan for over a decade in ways we in the U.S. need to catch up with.

Countless bands on the scene are out there trying to make a name for themselves in the same way: the each want to be recognized for a sound all their own… or as Japan’s FACT puts it, “We want to become the pioneers of a new genre. That’s it.” Honestly, most bands that attempt birthing a new method of alternative music put a spin on punk rock that usually just sounds like… punk rock. Enter FACT.