Hi-STANDARD’s Signature Songs and Hidden Gems Guide [2026]

Maximum OverdriveHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD – Maximum Overdrive [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

The first track on Hi-STANDARD’s second album, “Growing Up,” is “Maximum Overdrive.” When “Growing Up” was released, the term “melodic hardcore” didn’t exist yet.

At a time when punk conjured images of rough-and-tumble bands like the Sex Pistols or The Clash, this album was a shock.

Guys who looked like your everyday neighbors in T-shirts and shorts were playing cheerful songs with a punk sound.

Can you imagine how striking that was? This album truly rewrote Japan’s punk scene, and this track was its very first step.

You Can’t Hurry LoveHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD – You Can’t Hurry Love(OFFICIAL VIDEO)

Immediately after the release of the aforementioned “Another Starting Line,” the cover EP “Vintage & New, Gift Shits” was announced.

Consisting entirely of covers of well-known songs, it was another release that moved fans to tears.

Among the tracks on this EP, one of the most popular is the 1980s hit by The Supremes, “You Can’t Hurry Love.” What’s especially noteworthy is the opening line, where Ken Yokoyama—guitarist and backing vocalist—takes the lead vocals.

During Hi-Standard’s hiatus, he was highly active as the frontman and singer-guitarist of his own Ken Band, and you can say this song brings the fruits of that work back into Hi-Standard.

Fighting Fists,Angry SoulHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD [FIGHTING FISTS, ANGRY SOUL] PV Haista

Another popular track from Angry Fist is “Fighting Fists, Angry Soul.” Hi-Standard is often described as being like “the friendly guys from the neighborhood,” and it’s true that their approachable personalities and relentlessly positive songs give them a familiar charm.

At the same time, they’re a band that insists on being a “punk band,” and they never hide their political stance—participating in events advocating for Tibetan freedom and anti-nuclear protests, for example.

This song embodies that strong spirit of self-assertion, powerfully singing about sometimes getting angry and raising your fists to stand up and fight.

California DreaminHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD – California Dreamin’

Hi-Standard began doing punk-style covers of famous songs around the time of Growing Up.

The album includes three covers, and the most popular among them is California Dreamin’.

They brilliantly rearranged the pop original into a tense punk rock track, and the sudden tempo drop in the interlude leading into a metal-like guitar solo is especially breathtaking.

Guitarist Ken Yokoyama is one of Japan’s most famous guitarists, and this is one of the songs where his appeal shines the most.

New LifeHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD – New Life [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]

“New Life,” included on “Growing Up,” is likely one of the songs that’s especially popular with fans.

Even people who don’t know Hi-Standard at all might recognize its intro.

That intro has long been used as the jingle played before and after commercials on the radio show “All Night Nippon” hosted by the comedy duo Ninety-Nine.

As an aside, the young comedy duo NON STYLE reportedly took their name as a play on Hi-Standard.

Summer Of LoveHi-STANDARD

Hi Standard – Summer of love

One of the songs from Growing Up that still remains popular at live shows is Summer Of Love.

As the title suggests, it’s a bright, summery tune packed with the raw, energetic charm of early Hi-Standard, even if it’s a bit unpolished.

The guitar rhythm in the intro also evokes ska, and I believe it’s a track that went on to influence the later ska-punk scene.

We’re All Grown UpHi-STANDARD

We’re All Grown Up (Live at Yokohama Arena 20181222)

Hi-STANDARD, the band that revolutionized Japan’s punk rock scene.

This track, included on their 2017 masterpiece The Gift—their first full-length album in 18 years—feels like a song about the band’s journey itself, a number that tugs tightly at the heart.

It lovingly embraces days gone by while gently affirming the present of adulthood, sung over a melody that soaks into the soul.

The music video, which incorporates documentary footage, is also striking, intertwining their history and stirring the listener’s heart.

It’s a warm yet emotional song that keeps you company on nights when you want to reminisce with old friends, or when you pause to look back on the past.