Downy (Japan) + Aphids as Lovers + Quinine

Twenty-five years into one of the most singular careers in Japanese music, downy are finally crossing the Pacific. Formed in Tokyo in 2000 and widely regarded as one of the architects of Japanese post-rock, the six-piece have never played the United States. Until now. What sets them apart isn’t only the music, but the way it’s delivered live: a VJ stands among them as a full-fledged member, conjuring visuals that pulse and fracture in real-time sync with the band, so that sound and image move as a single instrument. Their long-awaited eighth album, Untitled #8 “Mudai”, arrived last year, mixed by toe’s Takaaki Mino: eleven tracks of hypnotic rhythm, hazy shoegaze texture, and restless electronic experimentation that prove a quarter-century deep, they’re still charting new ground. Now that whole audiovisual world lands on American stages for the very first time.