flumpool

Overview

flumpool is a Japanese four-piece rock band formed in Osaka Prefecture in January 2007. The members are Ryuta Yamamura (vocals, guitar), Kazuki Sakai (guitar), Genki Amakawa (bass) and Seiji Ogura (drums, leader). The band is managed by Amuse and releases through the A-Sketch label. Its name combines "four", "lump" and "pool", suggesting a collective mass of four. flumpool debuted in October 2008 with the download single "Hana ni Nare" and has appeared on NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen three times.

Career

Early years and debut

In 2002, childhood friends Yamamura, Sakai and Amakawa formed an acoustic unit called 309, later renamed cube, and issued four self-made CDs. In January 2007 Ogura joined on drums, and on 13 January the band became flumpool, playing street gigs outside Osaka-jo Hall and in live houses around Osaka. Their independent single "Mirai Kanai" followed, and on 27 August 2008 they released the independent trial single "labo" in a limited run of 5,000 copies. Chosen as au KDDI "LISMO" campaign artist, they debuted on 1 October 2008 as the first artist on Amuse's new A-Sketch label with "Hana ni Nare", which reportedly reached 1,000,000 downloads in ten days. "Over the Rain (Hikari no Hashi)" became the theme of the TBS drama Bloody Monday. Their first mini-album, Unreal (19 November 2008), reached No. 2 on the Oricon weekly albums chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAJ.

2009-2016

In 2009 flumpool launched their first tour, released their first CD single "Hoshi ni Negai o" (No. 2 on Oricon), and the double A-side "MW/Natsu Dive" together with their first live DVD, which topped the Oricon music DVD chart. They played Nippon Budokan in October, released the first full album What's flumpool!? on 23 December, and made their first Kohaku appearance that New Year's Eve. In 2010 they released "Zanzo", "rebootAkiramenai Uta/Nagareboshi" (a support song for NTV's World Cup coverage) and "Kimi ni Todoke", the theme of the film of the same name. Yamamura underwent polyp surgery and returned on 7 July. Fantasia of Life Stripe followed in 2011, and the song "Akashi" was provided as the set piece for the 78th NHK National School Music Competition. In 2012 came the "Because... I am" tour and the album experience. They held their first Taiwan concert in March 2013; while Sakai paused visual activities for a diet, Yusuke Inoue of NON STYLE served as support member until Sakai returned as sub-leader. The first best album, The Best 2008-2014 "MONUMENT", arrived in May 2014, and in August 2015 their first solo outdoor concert at Oizumi Ryokuchi in Osaka drew 35,000 people over two days.

Hiatus and return

During the "Re:image" tour in 2017, after the 3 December Yokohama show, Yamamura was found to have functional dysphonia, and the band went on hiatus from 5 December; the remaining dates and the countdown live were cancelled. On 13 January 2019 they staged a guerrilla live at Tennoji Park in Osaka and announced their return, releasing the single "HELP" on 22 May 2019.

Recent activity

In July 2021 the band announced a new company and a partnership with A-Sketch, and in August launched the YouTube channel "Furayon!". In 2022 they released A Spring Breath, including "Kimi ni Todoke (A Spring Breath ver.)" and "Akashi (A Spring Breath ver.)". 2023 brought "Magic", "Hiasobi" and "Naite Iinda"; Yamamura and company were named mora "Hi-Res Ambassadors" on 1 October, held a 15th anniversary show at Nippon Budokan on 6 October, and released the second best album, The Best flumpool 2.0 ~ Blue[2008-2011] & Red[2019-2023] ~, on 9 October. In 2024 they released "Kimi ni Koishita Ano Hi kara", "Ikizuku feat. Nao Matsushita" and "SUMMER LION"; in 2025 "Keep it up!!", the album Shape the water (5 March) and, in December, "Snow Ghost". On 17 June 2026 the band announced that Ogura may be showing symptoms of dystonia and that live activities would pause for the time being so he could focus on treatment.

Musical style

flumpool works in J-pop and J-rock, with anime-related material among their output. They often performed theme songs for projects starring fellow Amuse artist Haruma Miura, such as Bloody Monday and Kimi ni Todoke. Since Unreal, lyrics have generally been written by Yamamura and music composed by Sakai, with one exception composed by Amakawa; in the indie days, Yamamura, Sakai and Amakawa often composed together.