Melancholic songs by girls' bands. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks.
This is a playlist of bittersweet songs by girl bands.
Each track powerfully captures the unique feelings and emotions of girls in an emotive way.
Perhaps it’s a hallmark of girl bands, but although the songs are sad, they don’t feel heavy or gloomy—that’s what’s great about them.
It’s the perfect list for when you want to indulge in a touch of sentimentality.
A girls’ band’s bittersweet songs. Recommended masterpieces and popular tracks (1–10)
Kizuna-gotoNEW!UNFAIR RULE
UNFAIR RULE is a guitar rock band from Okayama Prefecture.
The piece they released in April 2026 is a newly written track that serves as the theme song for the TV drama “Error.” The tender yet warm melody—reflecting songwriter and composer Tamaha Yamamoto’s real experiences and regrets—really tugs at the heartstrings.
Their appeal, which drew attention with the October 2024 album “Hitorigoto,” lies in candid lyrics and a driving sound, both of which remain fully intact here.
The simple guitar backing and arpeggios aren’t particularly difficult, and if the rhythm section aims to evolve gradually from a straightforward 8-beat in the A melody to a bouncier groove in the chorus—while staying closely attuned to the song—it should make excellent practice for beginners.
MNEW!Purinsesu Purinsesu
This is a song by Princess Princess, a band that laid the groundwork for the girls’ band scene from the late ’80s to the ’90s.
It was first included on the 1988 album “LET’S GET CRAZY,” and later released to the public as the B-side to the 1989 smash-hit single “Diamonds.” Although it had no tie-in when it first came out, it was later used as a drama ending theme in 2014.
The lyrics, which draw out the pain of heartbreak from the small details of everyday life, resonate deeply.
It’s a gentle ballad that stays by your side when you’ve pushed yourself too hard and your heart is weary.
How about listening to it slowly, alone on a quiet night, while reflecting on memories from that time?
To the moonHump Back
A girls’ band that evokes classic rock groups.
You’ll be drawn into their unique world.
The vocalist’s straightforward, heartrending voice is truly a pleasure to listen to.
It’s amazing to get such a wonderful work from a three-piece band—the bare minimum of instruments.
Absolutely fantastic.
disgust; aversion; repulsionchakura
Let me introduce a song that marks a new frontier for Chakra, the four-piece band known for their ‘headlong-charge girls’ band’ tagline.
Released as a digital single in September 2025, this track stands out by weaving piano tones into their traditionally intense guitar rock, bringing the nuances of emotion into sharper focus.
The lyrics, written in down-to-earth language, pierce the heart as they capture the exhaustion of human relationships and feelings that can’t be neatly resolved.
When you’re frustrated from hitting a wall in your studies, or on nights when tangled emotions keep you from concentrating, Sakura’s emotional vocals will speak for your confusion and help dissolve it.
This fan-beloved masterpiece, which gained support alongside their nationwide tour, is the perfect number for settling your mind and getting back to your desk.
Tomorrow as wellSHISHAMO
This is a song included on the album SHISHAMO 4.
They’re a three-piece girls’ band with outstanding sensibility in both lyrics and melody.
It’s a strongly message-driven work aimed at people dealing with love, work, and studies.
It’s bittersweet and really seeps into your heart.
Tokyo ShampooHaze
When your heart is worn out by the gap between ideals and reality, this song will surely hit home.
It’s a track by Haze, a girls’ band centered around KATY, included as the first song on their mini-album “glare,” released in August 2023.
SUZUKA’s repeating keyboard phrase leaves a strong impression, and KATY’s slightly husky vocals convey the emptiness of urban life with piercing clarity.
The lights and shadows of Tokyo, along with the understated performance that reveals more flavor the more you listen, seep into a tired heart.
Give it a try when you’re exhausted from chasing your ideals.
sly personTETORA
This song, based on a true story, expresses the poignant inability to let go of feelings for someone you once loved.
It’s a work by TETORA, a three-piece band from Osaka.
The track was included as the B-side of the Tower Records–exclusive single “East Hills” released in April 2019, and later featured on the album “From a Corner of the Classroom” in June of the same year.
Over a simple 8-beat, medium-tempo arrangement, vocalist Sayaka Ueno’s husky, restrained delivery brings a tightening ache to the chest.
It’s sure to resonate deeply with those suffering from unrequited love or still struggling to move on after parting with someone important.