flumpool

flumpool is a Japanese rock band from Osaka Prefecture, formed in January 2007. It grew out of an acoustic unit started in 2002 by childhood friends Ryuta Yamamura, Kazuki Sakai and Genki Amakawa; Seiji Ogura joined in 2007, and the group's name was coined around the idea of a four-member collective. Yamamura writes the lyrics for most of the band's songs, while Sakai has handled much of the composition. After releasing the limited-run indie single "labo" in August 2008, flumpool made its major debut in October of that year with the digital single "花になれ". The following month it released the mini-album "Unreal", which reached No. 2 on the Oricon weekly albums chart. In 2009 the band held its first one-man tour, released its first CD single, "星に願いを", gave its first concerts at the Nippon Budokan and appeared for the first time on NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen. In the 2010s, flumpool continued to broaden its activity within Japanese pop rock and anime. In 2011 it contributed "証" for the junior high school division of the 78th NHK National School Music Contest. In 2013 it held its first solo concerts in Taiwan, and in 2014 it released the compilation album "The Best 2008-2014「MONUMENT」". Its anime songs include the opening themes "Yoru wa Nemureru kai? (夜は眠れるかい？)" for Ajin, "Chiisana Hibi (ちいさな日々)" for Kakushigoto and "Nevermind (ネバーマインド)" for Ahiru no Sora. After suspending its activities at the end of 2017, when Yamamura was diagnosed with functional dysphonia, flumpool resumed performing in January 2019 in Osaka and released the single "HELP" in May of that same year. In 2021 the band announced a new company and a business alliance with A-Sketch. In 2023 it marked the 15th anniversary of its debut with a concert at the Nippon Budokan and with the compilation album "The Best flumpool 2.0 〜 Blue［2008-2011］& Red［2019-2023］〜".