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

Saturday NightHi-STANDARD

Hi Standard – Growing Up (Full Album – 1995)

This is a cover of a classic song by Hi-Standard whose brass sound will sweep you off your feet.

The tempo is fast and the beat tends to push forward, so it might not be ideal for choreographed routines, but for freestyle dancing some people might be able to nail it with a rough, loose style! If you like band-driven sounds, using this track could really set the mood.

CrowsHi-STANDARD

Crows【Hi-STANDARD】

Hi-Standard had many interactions with overseas punk bands, but of course they also had deep ties with Japan’s punk rock scene.

Their cover of the band that became a legend in Japan’s punk scene, bloodthirsty butchers, is “Crows.” The original song, titled “Karasu” (“Crow”) and sung in Japanese, leans more toward alternative rock, but Hi-Standard’s version translates the lyrics into English and gives it a hardcore sound.

Incidentally, the Butchers were also the band they shared the bill with at Hi-Standard’s very first live show after forming.

It’s an episode that offers a glimpse into both Hi-Standard’s history and the history of the legendary band, the Butchers.

Mosh Under The RainbowHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD / MOSH UNDER THE RAINBOW

Another song that sends the crowd into a frenzy at live shows is “Mosh Under The Rainbow.” The title of this track from the album “Making The Road” translates to “Moshing Under the Rainbow.” Moshing is a way of enjoying music at punk and rock concerts where people in the audience move to the music by thrashing around and bumping into each other.

The title truly symbolizes Hi-Standard’s live shows, and when they play it, you’ll see a happy scene where the crowd forms a circle and dances while spinning around and around.

PentaxHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD　pentax

Compared to J-pop songs, Hi-Standard’s tracks are very short, with most running about two to three minutes.

Among them, the especially short “Pentax” from the album “Making The Road” clocks in at a mere 35 seconds.

Yet even within this sub-one-minute span, Hi-Standard manages to complete the song.

It’s a simple one-chorus track, but it’s brimming with charm.

Close To MeHi-STANDARD

Close To Me [Hi-STANDARD]

“Close To Me,” another fan favorite from the “Angry Fist” album, feels like a prototype of melodic hardcore with its fast beat and slightly wistful melody.

While many recent melodic hardcore bands frequently use a two-beat, early Hi-Standard gives the impression of employing a more diverse range of rhythms by comparison.

This song, too, develops by switching beats one after another.

Akira Tsuneoka on drums is often called one of the top drummers in the J-punk scene, and this track makes that clear.

Sunny DayHi-STANDARD

SUNNY DAY（Hi-STANDARD）

“Sunny Day,” a track from “Last of Sunny Day.” This is another song that feels very Hi-Standard, from before the melodic hardcore sound had fully taken shape.

Guitarist Ken Yokoyama originally liked metal, and the riff in this song strongly evokes a metal/hardcore vibe.

However, the melody is characteristically catchy in the Hi-Standard way, making it a sound you might say you can’t really hear in today’s melodic hardcore.

I Get AroundHi-STANDARD

Hi-Standard – I Get Around (Punk Cover)

This is a cover by Hi-Standard, a band representing Japanese melodic hardcore and melodic punk, of a song by The Beach Boys.

You might expect them to stick with the fresh surf vibe, but as expected, the chorus kicks into a high-speed beat—what you could call their signature Hi-Sta style—making it a characteristically Hi-Standard cover that ramps up the energy.