Overlooked Works Back Then

In the early 2010s, Tokyo quartet möscow çlub had an abundance of ideas. Dabbling in everything from guitar-centric indie-pop to fizzy synth-pop to high-strutting funk, the group established themselves as one of the period's premier pop jack-of-all-trades in Japan. Using the internet and fledgling platforms, they could also share their creations at their own pace, allowing them to stay independent and follow their own artistic attitude.
While möscow çlub went on to release albums-worth of material, many of these songs from their earliest days sunk into the digital ether. With new collection works back then, however, the full story of möscow çlub's versatile approach to musical creation can be told. The collection finds 10 möscow çlub deep cuts available physically on vinyl and cassette, showing just how sonically curious the band was early in their career.
The songs featured on Overlooked Works Back Then all came out in the early years of möscow çlub, and reveal an ambition to play around with as many ideas as possible. The driving and hooky indie-pop that would help define future releases takes shape on numbers such as "ghost dance" and "jellyfish." The four-piece project also made their love of synthesizers and other electronic touches clear from the start on lively cuts such as "our pastime" or more melancholic reflections such as "sanatorium."
These works from back then also include some of the band's finest experiments, such as the enveloping chillwave detour of "ECHO BEACH" or the ethereal drum-less number "daisy miller pt.1," featuring guest vocal assistance from fellow early-2010s staple Canopies And Drapes.
möscow çlub exemplified the internet-centered indie scene blooming in Japan's capital in the first half of the 2010s, and Overlooked Works Back Then fills out the gaps in their songbook by reminding just how adventurous the group could get.

Text by Patrick St. Michel