luv is a five-piece band from Osaka whose refreshing brand of soulful alt-rock is helping redefine what J-Music looks and sounds like. Meeting as kids, the members grew from childhood friends into a group jamming in their university’s jazz club. During this period, they spread their figurative arms and let a myriad of inspirations wash over them. From funk, hip-hop, jazz, and pop, they absorbed everything through musical osmosis. The result is a band with one foot in the now and the other rooted in nostalgia. luv’s sound is as if Kenshi Yonezu, D’Angelo, and Masayoshi Takanaka came together, shook hands, and created music (take my money for that one).

After releasing a slew of singles and EPs, a SXSW showcase selection, and sold-out shows in Taiwan and Korea, luv’s meteoric rise was cemented when they were awarded “Best New Artist” at the Japanese Music Awards. Now with their debut album wabi-sabi finally here, we thought it’d be the perfect time to catch up with the band as they teeter on the precipice of global stardom. Read our interview below so you can say that you knew about them before everyone else.

Hi guys! Firstly, congratulations in advance on your upcoming album ‘wabi-sabi’. How does it feel to know music fans will hear it so soon?

Thank you! It feels like it’s finally happening. We hope that listeners won’t overthink it and just enjoy it in their own way. We are very excited to see how this work reaches not only people in Japan but also people overseas.

Going back to the beginning, you all grew up in the Kansai region and met in your university’s jazz society. What do you remember about that time? Did the connection feel immediate?

Actually, it’s not that we all met at the university jazz club; the members are a group of childhood friends and friends from high school. Although everyone’s favorite music was slightly different, we respected each other and maintained a comfortable distance, which I remember feeling very pleasant.

Who are some of your biggest music inspirations (both local and international)?

The music each member has listened to is quite varied, but I think 90s neo-soul and black music (artists including D’Angelo), is one of the genres we all like. Some members like funk, soul, and jazz, while others have roots in classical or pop music, so everyone’s tastes are truly different. But I think it’s exactly because these diverse musical tastes come together that we create the signature luv sound. Rather than aiming for one specific person’s music, it feels more like everyone brings what they like and we create the sound together.

Since 2024, you’ve release a slew of singles and EPs, including ‘Already’ and ‘The Seeds’, which was received with open arms by music fans both in Japan and abroad. Was it surreal to feel that type of love so quickly?

Honestly, we were quite surprised at first, and very happy! We originally started our activities in Osaka, and our initial focus was just on delivering our music to the people right in front of us, so we never expected that people overseas would be listening to it. However, just because more people from different countries are listening doesn’t mean we plan to drastically change how we make music. We hope that continuing to create what we genuinely think is cool will ultimately lead to reaching people in various countries. Now that we have more opportunities to actually communicate with people from diverse backgrounds, we would like to play live in more places in the future.

Your sound blends alt-rock, neo-soul, and jazz into something that feels nostalgic and fresh at once. Do you feel you have a set approach to songwriting and composition yet?

Hinata Miyake basically handles all the lyric writing. For composing, he also often takes the lead in making demos, and from there, each member brings out their own ideas or adds to the arrangement, building the song together. We think that by adding each member’s personality and strengths to the initial demo, it ultimately becomes a track that sounds like luv.

The themes behind ‘wabi-sabi’ feel more like thoughtful meditations than concrete statements. Why did you want to approach the album with such an open mindset?

The title “wabi-sabi” was originally a candidate when we were making our previous album. It was a title that hajime came up with, but we didn’t use it then, and we were finally able to use it this time. For this album, many of the tracks have Japanese elements or a sense of “Wa” (Japanese harmony/style), so I think the title fits this work perfectly. It was great that a name that had been a candidate for a while could be used in a way that perfectly matches this project.

On the single ‘Blessed’, you collaborated with Australia’s Boy Soda. How did this link-up come about?

This collaboration started when BOY SODA came to Japan and we had a session together in Tokyo. We created the song almost improvisationally, and we have the impression that we had great chemistry right from the start. Through this production, we felt once again that even with different countries and languages, we can naturally connect through music. We would be happy to continue making music together with overseas artists in this way.

Speaking of Australia, can we expect you to come down anytime soon?

Of course! We can’t say too much right now, but I think it’s safe to say you won’t be disappointed.

Thanks to luv for taking the time to chat and the good Warner Music for making this happen. ‘wabi-sabi‘ is available now on all good streaming platforms. Don’t sleep on this one!