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 six singles on independent labels since 2014. [3]
Grimm Grimm has collaborated with various artists, including Lætitia Sadier, Le Volume Courbe, Bo Ningen, Josephine Foster and Klein. [1] [4] [5]
Yamanoha is originally from Tokyo, Japan, and is the former frontman of the psychedelic-punk 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]
His debut Grimm Grimm single, "Kazega Fuitara Sayonara / Tell the Truth", was released in late 2014 via Kevin Shields (of My Bloody Valentine) and Charlotte Marionneau's Pickpocket Records label [10] in collaboration with Honest Jon's. [5] His debut album, Hazy Eyes Maybe, was released on ATP Recordings [11] 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 / Jim Jarmusch. [4] His second album, Cliffhanger, was released in June 2018. The album was produced with Berlin-based producer Goh Nakada (Gorgonn) and features a cover version of Misfits' "Hybrid Moment". [4]
Yamanoha announced the release of his third studio album, Ginormous, on 28 February 2020. The album was produced with Marta Salogni and featured Paz Maddio and Lætitia Sadier. [12] Grimm Grimm and his ensemble appeared on BBC 6 Music on 19 February 2020 where they were interviewed by Mark Riley and played three songs live in session. Later that evening they were invited by Gideon Coe to play a track on his show in celebration of the album's release. [1]
In 2024, Grimm Grimm released a mixtape, Untitled II, a sound collage blending grainy cassette recordings with demo tracks from a 4-channel recorder. The original release was limited to 30 copies, which included a bundle of cassette tape, a pillow cover, and sleeping pills. Sold exclusively at Atlantis Records in London, the album features guest contributions from contemporary artist Naima Karlsson and Colorado-based singer-songwriter Josephine Foster. [13]
Grimm Grimm has toured with and supported artists such as Cate Le Bon, Simon Finn, Dinosaur Jr, 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. [14]
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 "round" and "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." [15] [16] 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". [17]