ONE OK ROCK

With a seemingly infinite store of energy, ONE OK ROCK have honed a storm of a sound that combines blistering pop-punk drive and post-hardcore aggression with anthemic, poppy choruses. After forming in the mid-2000s as teens in Tokyo and finding an audience via two early EPs, the band—named after their designated weekend rehearsal time of one o’clock—emerged with a 2007 debut full-length that attracted Warped Tour devotees. Songs like “Naihishinsho” blurred the boundaries between melodic emo and heavier fare, placing mammoth, heavy metal-adjacent riffs alongside their angst-filled choruses. Beginning with 2010’s razor-sharp Niche Syndrome, ONE OK ROCK kicked off a (mostly) platinum-selling streak of records in Japan. Due largely in part to vocalist Takahiro Moriuchi’s ability to sing in both English and Japanese, they were able to capitalise on the momentum and make their breakthrough in America, eventually signing with legendary pop-punk label Fueled By Ramen for 2017’s Ambitions. Since then, they’ve bolstered the label’s stellar reputation for propulsive, fists-raised alt-rock with each new release, and leaned into their triumphant pop side for their 2019 album Eye of the Storm.