Hump Back

Overview

Hump Back (ハンプバック) is a Japanese all-female rock band formed in Higashiosaka, Osaka, in 2009. The lineup is Momoko Hayashi (vocals, guitar), Pika (bass, backing vocals) and Misaki (drums, backing vocals). Hayashi, the only constant member, writes most of the band's songs. Hump Back made its major debut on VAP in 2018 with the single "Haikei, Shonen yo" (拝啓、少年よ), which reached number 13 on the Weekly Oricon chart. Its label is the dedicated imprint "Hayashi Ongaku Kyoshitsu" within VAP, and all three current members are married mothers.

Career

• 2009: Formed by Hayashi and friends in the light music club of Higashiosaka Nisshin High School, initially covering Chatmonchy. The name came from Hayashi, a cat lover, wanting a word indirectly linked to cats; she found "humpback" and its Japanese sense of a cat-like back. The band uses a humpback whale logo on merchandise.
• 2012: Advanced to the Osaka round of the teen contest Senko Riot 2012 and released the self-produced "say good bye" on August 1.
• 2013-2015: A period of frequent lineup changes. Yukki left in April 2013; support member 373 became official in June, and Megu also left. Setsuko joined as support in May 2014, and 373 left in January 2015. Hayashi continued as a solo project and released the single "Kaeri michi" in April at a single Tower Records store in Osaka. Kanna joined in April and Pika in May; Kanna left in November.
• 2016: Misaki joined on February 2, completing the current lineup. In August the band joined the indie label WELL BUCKET RECORDS, and on December 7 released its first nationwide mini-album, "Yoru ni nattara" (夜になったら).
• 2017: A 34-date national tour ran from January to May. On November 22 the band released the mini-album "hanamuke" alongside Hayashi's first solo acoustic CD; "hanamuke" peaked at number 17 on the Weekly Oricon Albums chart.
• 2018: A 30-venue release tour included the band's first headline show at Umeda CLUB QUATTRO, with 19 dates selling out. The major debut single "Haikei, Shonen yo" followed on June 20, then "Namida no Yukue" on December 5.
• 2019: Established the "Hayashi Ongaku Kyoshitsu" label within VAP and released the major first album "Ningen nanosa" on July 17.
• 2020: Released "Mata Au Hi made" as a limited-time streaming track in April, the single "Teenage Sunset" on August 19, and held its first Osaka-Jo Hall show on November 23.
• 2021: Released the album "ACHATTER" in August, toured from September, and played its first Nippon Budokan show on November 28.
• 2022: Released the EP "AGE OF LOVE" in August. By this year all three members had married.
• 2023: Held "Hump Back pre. Uchiage Hiroen at NIPPON BUDOKAN" on May 7, its second headline show at the venue, celebrating the members' marriages. The double A-side single "tour/Linger" followed on June 21. In July the band announced a pregnancy and paused live activity.
• 2024: Announced that all three members had given birth. The band returned to the stage on December 18 at the 10th anniversary event of the Osaka venue BRONZE.
• 2025: Released the third full album "Hump Back" on March 26, held the Uchiage Series 2025 at five Zepp venues in April, and toured nationwide from June to December.
• 2026: Announced a move to Echoes, a management label within Sony Music Entertainment, in August, and released the mini-album "Yawaraka na Dokutsu" on October 14.

Musical Style

Hayashi's songs depict the joys and pains of everyday life, especially adolescence, with messages of affection. Her lyrics draw on her own experiences and are often written from a boy's point of view. Hayashi cites Chatmonchy, STANCE PUNKS, Taiyozoku and Flower Companyz as influences, Pika cites Galileo Galilei, and Misaki cites ELLEGARDEN. The band's driving beats and melodic songs often carry encouraging messages for young listeners.