Masterpieces by LUNA SEA: songs with profound allure that even connoisseurs admire

G.NEW!LUNA SEA

LUNA SEA – 「G.」MV

A high-velocity rock number where aggressive guitar riffs intertwine with a powerhouse rhythm section.

Originally featured on the classic 1990s album “STYLE,” the track was reimagined on the self-cover album “STYLE,” released in November 2023, leveraging modern production and the band’s seasoned musicianship.

Having been selected as the theme song for the 24-hour endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this piece delivers a finish brimming with race-like thrills and exhilaration.

A music video released in October 2023 has also reignited attention with its energetic performance.

It’s a track I can confidently recommend as driving music or for those moments when you need to fire yourself up for a decisive challenge.

So Tender…NEW!LUNA SEA

So Tender…

This piece, which closes out the album CROSS, exudes a maturity befitting the milestone of their 30th anniversary.

Co-produced with the world-renowned producer Steve Lillywhite and originally composed by INORAN, this medium-tempo ballad features lyrics that, amid images of cold rain and the moon, evoke a palpable warmth that truly moves you.

Its deliberately understated ending, which leaves a profound afterglow, is also superb.

Released in December 2019, the album CROSS received high acclaim, including topping the Billboard JAPAN comprehensive chart.

It’s a song that gently stays by your side when you want to cherish the pure resonance of the vocals over flashy developments, or when you want to spend a quiet night alone, lost in memories.

Poem of the Universe ~Higher and Higher~NEW!LUNA SEA

LUNA SEA – “Poem of the Universe ~Higher and Higher~” MV

This single, released in May 2019 to mark the band’s 30th anniversary, is a grandiose number that signals a bold new evolution.

The sonic landscape crafted with world-renowned producer Steve Lillywhite fuses a cosmic expansiveness with the dynamism of rock, sending shivers down your spine as you listen.

It was written as the opening theme for the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin: Advent of the Red Comet.

Later included on the album CROSS, this track interweaves RYUICHI’s soaring vocals with a weighty performance, drawing you into its dramatic progression without fail.

Its powerful message of moving toward the future gently pushes anyone taking on a challenge.

Isn’t this a masterpiece that distills the very essence of LUNA SEA’s aesthetic?

MARIANEW!LUNA SEA

Maria

This is a mid-tempo number whose wistful melody and spatially expansive, symphonic sound are deeply moving.

Within its sacred atmosphere, the pain and prayers of wishing happiness for others are portrayed with delicate nuance.

It embodies the band’s post-restart ideal of uniting hardness and lyricism, and RYUICHI’s vocals permeate the heart.

Although the track is included on the album A WILL, released in December 2013, there’s an episode that it was actually unveiled three years earlier, at the Tokyo Dome concert in December 2010, well before it was recorded.

The polish it gained over years of live performance is nothing short of stunning.

It’s a rock ballad for adults—one you’ll want to sink into alone on a quiet night, thinking of someone dear.

RainNEW!LUNA SEA

Rain

LUNA SEA is a band whose true essence shines through in their B-sides and album tracks, and “RAIN,” the coupling track to the single “ROSIER” released in July 1994, is an exceptionally popular song among fans.

It’s a must-listen masterpiece for getting to know the band, having been performed at legendary shows like “LUNATIC TOKYO 1995.” Originally composed by INORAN, its ensemble—anchored by a heavy bass line and drums over a reggae-tinged rhythm, guitars that roam freely from noise to spatial effects, and vocals erupting with piercing emotion—embodies the very core of LUNA SEA.

UnlikelihoodNEW!LUNA SEA

Unlikelihood

Amid a lineup of dazzling hit songs, are you familiar with the sixth track on the album “SHINE,” which dares to portray the darker side? It’s a rock number that draws listeners into the boundary between reality and unreality, with a weighty groove characteristic of bassist J, who composed the original, and lyrics that interweave English and Japanese.

Released in July 1998, the song was also used in a soft drink commercial featuring RYUICHI.

The fact that it has been performed at pivotal moments—such as the Tokyo Dome show in December 1998—shows how important this track is to the band.

Just as stronger light casts deeper shadows, this is a masterpiece I especially recommend to those who want to experience the band’s profound world that lies behind the glamorous title track, or to lose themselves completely in waves of sound on a late night.

BEYOND THE TIME ~Beyond the Möbius Universe~NEW!LUNA SEA

BEYOND THE TIME ~Beyond the Möbius Universe~

You’ll be overwhelmed by the grand sense of scale where respect for the original song merges with the band’s unique aesthetic.

This work, which reconstructs TM NETWORK’s classic into a heavy rock sound, was used as the third opening theme for the TV anime Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN: Advent of the Red Comet, which aired in September 2019.

Its surprise reveal during the broadcast became a hot topic.

RYUICHI’s expansive vocals and the rich ensemble seem to resonate to the far reaches of space, sending shivers through me every time I listen.

Although it was initially digital-only, it was later included on the CD bundled with the limited first edition B of the album CROSS.

It’s a track that makes you want to look up at the night sky and listen, feeling a Möbius strip-like cycle of fate.

Highly recommended not only for Gundam fans, but also for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in a melody beloved across generations.