10 consecutive albums ranking in the Oricon Top 5 - The ever-evolving potential of SCANDAL

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SCANDAL's 10th album MIRROR ranked 5th when it made its first appearance on the Oricon (Japanese music charts) Weekly Album Ranking Chart for the week of Feb. 7th. All 10 of their original albums, starting with their 1st album BEST★SCANDAL released in Oct. 2009, have ranked in the top 5. As such, we have explored the achievements of SCANDAL, who has been at the forefront of the hit-making scene for the past 15 years, and their potential that still continues to evolve from this album.

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■Sponsored contests and all-girl-band events, prolific achievements in revitalizing the scene

SCANDAL has been at the forefront of the hit-making scene for the past 15 years. They are popular not only in Japan but also in North America, Europe, and Asia. They energetically rack up world tours. All kinds of languages can be seen in the comment section of their YouTube videos. In 2019, they were the first Japanese headliner at Macau's largest music festival. They have become an all-girl band who represents Japan in both name and reality.

Their career is a novel one: Formed in 2006, the band was founded by girls who had never played musical instruments before, at a dance and vocal training school they were attending at the time. They may have been viewed from a biased perspective in their early days, being high school-girl (=school uniforms) icons and looking exactly like idols. In the first place, all-girl bands, which are often described as being "powerful despite being women" or "masculine-like," have long been considered a sub-genre of the rock scene.

Amidst that, SCANDAL does not deny the delicate sensibility unique to women, nor compete with men; and they refine playing techniques genuinely, as well as pursue musicality while flexibly absorbing different genres—they have shattered all prejudices in rock.

It's also worth noting that the early pop, garage-band sounds of these women who picked up instruments at the same time the band was formed, greatly empowered other girls. They hosted a cover band and vocalist contest for six years starting from 2010, from which Tancobuchin and KANIKAPILA made their major debuts. SCANDAL has made great contributions to the activities of the all-girl band scene from the latter half of the Heisei Era to the Reiwa Era, such as presiding over the event "Band Yarou Yo!!" that brought together all-girl bands of the same generation.

■A new album that stands out for its versatility - A finish that will be the starting point for the future

During their 15th-anniversary year, they released the three singles eternal, Ivory, and one more time. Their 10th MIRROR contains a total of 10 songs, including 7 new songs.

All of the members are songwriters, and the myriad of expressions that come forth when each handles lead vocals is part of SCANDAL's musicality. On this album, guitarist MAMI sings and plays acoustic guitar on "Ivory"; bassist TOMOMI takes part in the soul number "Ai no Shoutai" with big-band and gospel sounds; drummer RINA sings the danceable "Kanojo wa Wave" that makes you feel the glitter of the 80's; while vocalist/guitarist HARUNA handles vocals for the remaining songs.

The love song "Ai ni Naranakatta no sa" with music and lyrics written by MAMI was released digitally ahead of the album. The lyrics that realistically spell out the sad feelings of love that did not sublimate into true love is one of SCANDAL's essences, and many sympathetic comments have already been posted on social media. On the other hand, "Ao no Naru Yoru no Sukima de," which was unveiled for the first time at their 15th-anniversary concert in August of last year, has a shoegaze-like sound that SCANDAL's never had before. RINA, who wrote and composed this song with a tranquil and tingling lingering sound, revealed that it was created with endless respect for Maisa Tsuno of rock band Akai Koen.

Perhaps because this album was made during the pandemic, it can be said that its features are the delicate lyrics that reflect on personal feelings more that ever before, and the prominent, thorough sound with no compromises. Among them, the title song "MIRROR," which decorates the opening of the album, has a bold band sound at its center, but the lyrics about trying to grasp the light while struggling in an era with no answers, tugs at your heartstrings. With this epic rock anthem that had the members recalling, "I think this song has extended the band's life just as much as the most difficult times we've had to date," SCANDAL has absolutely advanced to their next stage.

Their 15th anniversary last year was also RINA's birthday, and now all four members who made their debut as a "middle and high school-girl band" are in their thirties. This album is also a powerful starting point for their musicality, which will continue to build up towards their 20th anniversary.

They will be holding their world tour starting from Mar. 12th. After the domestic performances in Japan, they will start their overseas dates, which were originally scheduled for 2020, in North America in July and Europe in September. Their setlist packed with 15 years' of history that will, of course, include songs from this album will surely excite fans all over the world.