Recommended songs by King Gnu: a carefully selected list of masterpieces that will get you hooked once you listen.

broad daylightKing Gnu

King Gnu – Hakujitsu

You’re drawn in by the structure that shifts from a delicate vocal at the beginning to a groove-filled band sound.

This is a track King Gnu released digitally in February 2019, written as the theme song for the drama Innocence: False Accusation Lawyer.

Its message—accepting a past you can never return to no matter how much you regret it, and continuing to walk through the present that stretches on, even as the snow keeps falling—combines human fragility and strength and strikes right at the heart.

The song is also included on the album CEREMONY.

It became a hot topic when it was performed for the first time at the 70th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen in December 2019.

It’s perfect for moments when you want to put the past behind you and take a new step forward, or for quietly listening on a winter night.

The monochrome music video is incredibly cool, too.

flying boatKing Gnu

King Gnu – Hikōtei (Seaplane)

With its heavy, booming low end and distorted guitars, this masterpiece grabs listeners’ hearts in an instant.

It carries a passionate message: don’t be bound by society’s expectations of common sense or correctness—burn your own life and charge forward.

It has an overwhelming power that feels like it can even turn downpours and storms—any adversity—into allies, and just listening to it makes your chest swell with emotion.

Released in August 2019, the song is also known as the tie-in track for ANA’s TV commercial “People Have Wings.” Refusing to rest on the success of their previous work, they intentionally took on a gritty rock sound, a stance that amplifies the song’s strength even more.

It’s a track you’ll want to play when you’re ready to take on something new or need to fire yourself up.

umbrellaKing Gnu

King Gnu – Umbrella OFFICIAL AUDIO

This is a song written specifically for the Bourbon “Alfort” commercial featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.

Released in October 2019 and later included on the acclaimed album CEREMONY, the track weaves acoustic textures with a contemporary beat to stunning effect, with a faintly melancholic melody that sinks deep into the heart.

The lyrics delicately portray unending rain and inner turmoil, creating a unique world that blends heartache with resignation.

And yet, the sound itself has a lightness that makes you want to sway along—an alluring contrast that’s quintessentially King Gnu.

It’s the perfect song for a night when you want to sit quietly alone, lost in thought as you listen to the sound of the rain.

Give it a listen!

SPECIALZKing Gnu

King Gnu – SPECIALZ

Flying the banner of “Tokyo New Mixture Style,” King Gnu is a band dominating the J-POP scene with a diverse, genre-defying sound.

Created as the opening theme for the second season of the TV anime Jujutsu Kaisen, “Shibuya Incident,” this track is a highly addictive rock number, steeped in chaotic grooves and a foreboding, heavy atmosphere.

Its passionate lyrics affirm one’s uniqueness in a labyrinthine world and urge living true to raw emotions, powerfully shaking the listener’s heart.

Released as a single in September 2023, it drew attention for breaking 100 million streams at the band’s fastest pace to date.

It’s a track that gives you boundless energy when you want to forget reason and go wild, or when you need to fire yourself up!

BOYKing Gnu

King Gnu – BOY

A warm, heartening number whose gentle yet powerful message resonates deeply.

The delicate strings at the beginning and Satoru Iguchi’s translucent falsetto capture the listener’s heart.

What first seems like a calm pop song suddenly erupts mid-track with distorted guitars—a development brimming with King Gnu’s signature unpredictability.

Released as their third CD single in December 2021, the song was written as the opening theme for the TV anime Ranking of Kings, and it was pre-released digitally in October of the same year.

Its world centered on the courage to face hardship is sure to sink deeply into the hearts of adults weary from everyday life.

Give it a listen when you need strength for tomorrow or a moment to affirm yourself.

reverse dreamKing Gnu

King Gnu – Sakayume

If you’ve seen the film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, the intro alone of this song might bring you to tears.

Its lyrics portray love and curses with profound depth, tightening your chest more with every listen.

The sound—an awe-inspiring fusion of strings arranged with participation from Daiki Tsuneta’s older brother and a contemporary beat—is simply overwhelming.

It’s a track from the single released by the mixture rock band King Gnu in December 2021, chosen as the movie’s ending theme.

With total streams surpassing 300 million, it has remained a long-loved work.

Wrapped in its melancholic melody, it’s perfect for savoring the lingering afterglow of the story alone on a quiet night.

Turn up the volume and lose yourself in its jazzy, sophisticated soundscape.

SlumberlandKing Gnu

Slumberland

Many of you have probably seen the music video where garishly colored puppets run wild.

It’s a track by King Gnu, the band taking the music scene by storm with their high-sense mixture sound.

Included as the lead song on their January 2019 album “Sympa,” it was pre-released in December 2018.

The sharp lyrics, which satirize the noise of television and public opinion, and the thick sonic palette that freely blends rock and hip-hop are electrifying.

Daiki Tsuneta’s performance using a megaphone is also unforgettable, and the song gained broad support through radio as well, being selected for power play at FM stations across the country.

It’s an energetic work packed with their aesthetics—perfect for when you want to dance away the haze of reality.