Grimm Grimm | |
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Birth name | Koichi Yamanoha |
Born | Tokyo, Japan |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, producer |
Instruments |
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Years active | 2013–present |
Labels |
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Website | grimmgrimm |
Grimm Grimm is a musical project of London-based songwriter, composer, recording artist and producer Koichi Yamanoha. [1] [2] He has released three solo studio albums, and nine singles on independent labels since 2014. [3]
Grimm Grimm has collaborated with various artists, including Lætitia Sadier, Le Volume Courbe, Bo Ningen, Josephine Foster, Klein and Hideo Kojima. [1] [4] [5]
Yamanoha is originally from West Tokyo, Japan, and is the former frontman of the noise-pop group, Screaming Tea Party (2006-2010) in London. [6] [7] The band has released 2 EPs through Stolen Recordings in the United Kingdom, and disbanded in October 2010. [8] [9] [10]
In late 2014, Yamanoha released his debut Grimm Grimm single, Kazega Fuitara Sayonara / Tell the Truth, through Pickpocket Records, the label founded by Kevin Shields (My Bloody Valentine) and Charlotte Marionneau [11] in collaboration with Honest Jon's. [12] His debut album, Hazy Eyes Maybe, was released on ATP Recordings [13] in 2015 and tracks from the album were used on the soundtrack for the documentary film Uncle Howard (2016) featuring William S. Burroughs and directed and produced by Aaron Brookner and Jim Jarmusch. [4] His second album, Cliffhanger, was released in June 2018. The album was mixed and produced with Berlin-based producer and musician, Goh Nakada. The following year, Yamanoha put out a 7" vinyl of remixes by British musician Klein and Japanese rapper Killer-Bong, issued through Birdfriend, a label managed by Osaka-based producer and musician, Koshiro Hino. [5]
Yamanoha announced the release of his third studio album, Ginormous, on 28 February 2020. The album was mixed and produced with Grammy-nominated producer Marta Salogni and features guest appearances by Paz Maddio and Lætitia Sadier (Stereolab). [14] Grimm Grimm and his ensemble appeared on BBC 6 Music on 19 February 2020 where they were interviewed and performed three songs live in session. [1]
A mixtape, Untitled II, was released via his own label, Myths of the Far Future in 2024. A few tracks from the project were first digitally shared in 2021 by Cafe Oto’s in-house label during the COVID-19 lockdowns. [15] Later, the complete collection was released, limited to 30 copies, and sold exclusively at Atlantis Records in Hackney, London, bundled with a cassette tape, a pillow cover, and sleeping tablets. The mixtape features guest contributions from British musician Naima Nefertari and American singer-songwriter Josephine Foster. [16] [17] [18]
In June 2025, a video game designer Hideo Kojima announced that several songs by Grimm Grimm would be featured in the PlayStation 5 game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the sequel to the critically acclaimed cult science fiction video game. Developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, the game includes returning performances by Norman Reedus and Léa Seydoux, as well as a cameo appearance by Yamanoha. [19] The EP Songs for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, released in July 2025, includes three new singles. [20] [21]
Grimm Grimm has toured with and supported artists such as Cate Le Bon, Simon Finn, Dinosaur Jr, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Wire and The Undertones. He has also played at multiple music festivals around the world including Le Guess Who? in Utrecht, Netherlands, Green Man Festival in Wales, Sonic Festival in Belgium, and All Tomorrow's Parties in England. [22]
The Quietus described the rhythmic composition of Yamanoha's 2020 album, Ginormous, as "Accented with percussion that comes in small clicks and creaks, metronomic rhythms, clacking, cranking sounds like wind-up gears, which sometimes stand in for more conventional drumming, or, as on 'Kyowa Amenohidesu', can create a halting, glitchy tempo." "Throughout his releases, Yamanoha has explored various nuances within his style, blending elements of baroque folk with futurist lyricism, drawing inspiration from 18th-century English "Infinite canon" forms, where repetitive patterns create an endless, cyclical feel. The melodies often featured at the end of his songs echo like nursery rhymes." [23] [24] Clash reviewed, Hazy Eyes Maybe, describing it as "It might seem a simple, acoustic album, but scrape beneath the surface and there lie intricately crafted layers of mournful, morphing, melancholic hooks". [25]