ORANGE RANGE

Overview

ORANGE RANGE is a five-member Japanese rock band based in Okinawa, known for its strong Okinawan identity. Often abbreviated as RANGE, the band is managed by Spice Music and signed to Sony Music Records; its official fan club is called "RANGE AID+". Blending pop, rock and hip-hop with many other styles, the band reached huge success in the mid-2000s: its second album musiQ sold more than 2.63 million copies and won Artist of the Year at the 19th Japan Gold Disc Awards, and the band scored nine consecutive No. 1 singles on the Oricon chart.

Members

• HIROKI: mid-range vocals
• YAMATO: high vocals
• NAOTO: guitar, backing vocals, composition, programming (leader)
• YOH: bass
• RYO: low vocals (YOH's younger brother)

Founding drummer KATCHAN left on July 31, 2005, and the band has since performed with support drummers, including Kota Igarashi (formerly of JUDY AND MARY), Yasuo Sano (2006–2010), Masahiro Sakurai (who passed away on March 14, 2022), SASSY and TETSUYUKI.

Career

Formation and indie days

The band's origins lie in a group of NAOTO (guitar) and KATCHAN (drums) who played GLAY's "BELOVED" at their junior high graduation party in Okinawa City. KATCHAN later reformed the band with NAOTO and YOH at high school; HIROKI joined as vocalist, YOH's younger brother RYO became the second vocalist, and YAMATO completed the debut lineup. ORANGE RANGE was formally formed in March 2001. As amateurs they played up to 70 shows a year at live houses and on the streets of Okinawa, initially covering GLAY, Yamaarashi, Dragon Ash and others before writing originals such as "Sōjūko" after YAMATO joined. On February 22, 2002 they made their indie debut on SPICE RECORDS with the mini-album Orange Ball; two days later their release party drew 800 people, an unusual figure for a high-school indie band. They played their first major festival in July 2002 and their first tour of mainland Japan that August.

Major debut and peak

The band made its major debut on June 4, 2003 with the single "Kirikirimai" on gr8! records. The second single, "Shanghai Honey" (July 16), peaked at No. 5 on Oricon and broke the band nationally; they made their first SUMMER SONIC appearance that August. "Viva Rock" (October, used as an ending theme for the anime Naruto) and "Rakuyō" (November) followed, and the first major album, 1st Contact, arrived on December 17, 2003.

In 2004, "Michishirube a road home" (February 25) became their first No. 1 single, beginning a streak of nine consecutive No. 1s that lasted until "Champione" (May 10, 2006). "Locolotion" (June) also topped the chart for two weeks. "Hana" (October 20), the band's biggest single, stayed on the Oricon chart for 52 weeks. The second album musiQ (December 1), containing "Ishin Denshin" (used in an au by KDDI commercial), became their best-selling album. The band made its first appearance on NHK's Kōhaku Uta Gassen on New Year's Eve, performing "Locolotion".

In 2005 the band released "Asterisk" (the first opening theme of the anime Bleach), "Love Parade" (two weeks at No. 1) and "Onegai! Señorita". On June 3 KATCHAN went on hiatus with tendinitis and on July 31 left the band over musical differences. The band followed with "Kizuna" (August 24), the album ИATURAL (October 12) and an arena tour; five singles and two albums ranked in Oricon's annual top 30. In 2006 they released their first remix album Squeezed (April), "Champione" (May, NHK's 2006 FIFA World Cup theme), "UN ROCK STAR" (August) and toured nationwide with "FANTAZICAL".

Independent label and beyond

On July 14, 2010 the band released its third best-of, ALL the SINGLES, and on July 27 announced the founding of its own label, SUPER((ECHO))LABEL. In January 2012 it left gr8! records after nine years, and SUPER((ECHO))LABEL began a partnership with Victor Entertainment's SPEEDSTAR RECORDS.

Recent activity

In 2023 the band released the live album LIVE TOUR 010-011 orcd at Zepp Tokyo (September) and the singles "Specter" (October) and "Hai! Moshimoshi... Natsu desu!" (November). In early 2024 it released singles and live albums from the LIVE TOUR 022-023 Double Circle tour (recorded at Zepp DiverCity and LINE CUBE SHIBUYA), followed by "Zombie" (February) and "Sanshin Punk" (September). On May 21, 2025 it released "Maji de Sekai Kaechau 5-byō Mae", its first CD single in about 12 years since "Obolona Ageha / Moshimo" (2013), and announced its return to Sony Music Records after about 15 years; it is the label's first single from the band since "Hitomi no Saki ni" in July 2009. Further releases include "Hadashi no Checkolly" (July 2025), From THE FIRST TAKE versions of "Ikenai Taiyō" and "Hana" (September 24, 2025), and "Towa no Hikari" (October 2025).

Musical style

While in his second year of high school, NAOTO built tracks with local dancers using samplers and rhythm machines; the band then reworked them into band arrangements in the studio. "Sōjūko" was inspired by BOOM BOOM SATELLITES' collaboration with Chuck D, adding rap and applying hip-hop ideas to instrumental playing. "Shanghai Honey" was a deliberately pop-oriented song born from NAOTO's idea that marketing the band like idols would make its imbalance interesting. Since then the band has drawn on loud rock, pop, American and UK rock, melodic hardcore, Okinawan music, orchestral sounds, reggae, electro-pop, disco, techno, blues and funk. NAOTO wrote most of the early material, but YOH began composing around musiQ, and on the album orcd their songs are split roughly 6:4.