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

Spread Your SailHi-STANDARD

Hi Standard – Spread Your Sail

Even while understanding the disparities that exist in life, we still have no choice but to keep moving forward.

It’s a song imbued with that message.

The repeatedly recurring phrases linger strongly in your mind.

The driving, fast-paced melody that matches the lyrics feels pleasant to listen to.

My Heart Feels So FreeHi-STANDARD

Hi Standard – My Heart Feels so Free

In 2011, Hi-Standard resumed their activities and held “Air Jam 2011” at Yokohama Stadium that same year.

The second song they played then was “My Heart Feels So Free.” Even during the band’s hiatus, Akihiro Namba, the bassist and vocalist, performed this song in his solo shows, suggesting it’s a track that holds deep meaning for the members.

Indeed, the freedom mentioned in the song’s title may be a keyword that symbolizes Hi-Standard.

The lyrics feel quintessentially Hi-Standard—indie, unconstrained, and embodying their achievements such as founding their own label, hosting their own festival, and expanding overseas, all along a path no one had walked before.

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.

Mosh Under The RainbowHi-STANDARD

Hi-STANDARD / MOSH UNDER THE RAINBOW

Another song that sends the crowd into a frenzy live is “Mosh Under The Rainbow.” The title of this track from Making The Road translates to “Mosh Under the Rainbow.” Moshing is a way of moving to the music at punk and rock shows where people in the audience go wild and crash into each other.

The title perfectly embodies a Hi-Standard live show, and when they play it, you’ll see a happy scene of the audience forming a circle and dancing as they spin around.

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.

ANGRY FISTHi-STANDARD

Hi Standard – Angry Fist (Full Album – 1997)

You can call it youth rock, punk, or melodic hardcore—whatever you like—but they were the band that brought the fun of punk rock and its positive message to Japanese listeners.

Their distinctive fashion also became popular, especially among young people.

So this is what real rock is.