Effective period / Period of releases: 2001

Members: Hideki Taniuchi, Makoto Sakata, Toshiki Shimizu, Takahiko Orino

A Japanese emo/indie rock band that first formed in 1993. On Halloween 1996, the group released their first mini-album “Nothing”, and impressively became a major act for a short period on Victor Entertainment where they released one single, “Marshmallow Bomb”, in July of 1997. Although their first five years of activity was rough, they managed to turn things around drastically in 1999, when they released two albums and one single. By early 2000, Shocking Lemon became one of the most talked about bands in the Japanese underground, and they went major a second time in late 2000 when they signed to Vap.

In December of 2000, Shocking Lemon released their second single, “Under Star”. The single ended up being featured in the smash anime Hajime no Ippo, and is arguably their most popular release to date. In May of 2001, Shocking Lemon released their third single “Under Star”, which was also used in Hajime no Ippo. While it didn’t exactly have the same impact as “Inner Light”, it still had a great underground buzz, and the ambitious group then released their second full length album, “Sometimes Alone”, in September of 2001. The album, however, was a mainstream flop, and Shocking Lemon were then dropped from the Vap roster in 2002, becoming an independent act once more.

By this time, their flamboyant visual kei-esqued aesthetics greatly decreased as well. In 2003, Shocking Lemon released their third mini-album “Everything in My Life”, which was their first underground release in four years. The album failed to sell well, and the group then toured only sporadically for the following few years. In 2007, Shocking Lemon released their third full length album, and their first full length in six years, “Solvent Echo”, which signaled a comeback for the band due to its surprisingly strong sales. Nonetheless, Shocking Lemon ended up officially disbanding shortly after its release, after 14 years of activity.