outfit of the day

Tokyo four-piece möscow çlub proved to be one of the most ahead-of-the-curve groups to emerge from the capital's indie-rock scene in the first half of the 2010s. Early adopters to using the internet as a way to share music independently while also flexing an omnivorous approach to genre, möscow çlub helped signal a change in how the country's creators operated.
Their 2015 full-length outfit of the day, however, captured the quartet at their most elegant and focused. While still mixing in eclectic stylistic touches, the album found möscow çlub zoned in on writing the tightest songs of their career, topping off passages of string sections and saxophone with the catchiest hooks they ever wrote.
Released by Fastcut Records, outfit of the day would end up being möscow çlub's final album, but proved to be an artistic high point for the group. This fall, the group's sonic bow gets reissued on vinyl and cassette, allowing a new generation of listeners to hear one of the decade's finest Japanese indie-pop collections in all its splendor.
Using the then-popular social media hashtag #outfitoftheday as inspiration, möscow çlub penned some of the sweetest and most ennui-dipped songs of their career. The album contains some of their finest indie-pop creations, including the aching synth-accented "CELINE" featuring a melody inspired by the chime at Tokyo's Tameike-sanno Station, and the confident hop of "MARGARET." Vocals became more prominent and polished here, including guest appearances
from Amanda Åkerman of Swedish band Alpaca Sports on "CELINE" or Alice Hansen of Canadian duo You'll Never Get To Heaven on the elegant piano-backed "CARVEN."

While standing as the purest demonstration of their indie-pop chops, möscow çlub still find space to experiment, whether on the spoken-word synth dream of the title track or indulging in dizzying dance adventures on "Tour de Moskow." Even more straightforward offerings feature surprising touches, whether it be the gossamer strings draped over multiple songs on the album, or the saxophone zig-zagging through "Saint Lauren."
While it ended up being their farewell, outfit of the day saw möscow çlub end on a high note, with their prettiest and most well-constructed work. Nearly ten years later, it remains a gem from Japan's 2010s indie-pop scene, still shining all these years later.