Cero () are a Japanese pop band from Tokyo. The band was formed by singer, guitarist, and flautist Shōhei Takagi, keyboardist Yū Arauchi, and drummer Tomoyuki Yanagi in 2004. They were joined by guitarist Tsubasa Hashimoto in 2006 and musician Keiichi Suzuki became their producer in 2008. They released their debut album, World Record, in 2011, after which Yanagi departed the band. As a group of three, the band has released four studio albums; the most successful, Poly Life Multi Soul (2018), reached fourth place on the Oricon Albums Chart. The band has received three finalist awards at the CD Shop Awards and were named Best Alternative Artist at the 2016 Space Shower Music Awards.
History An abbreviation for Contemporary Exotica Rock Orchestra, Cero was formed in Tokyo by singer, guitarist, and flautist Shōhei Takagi, keyboardist Yū Arauchi, and drummer Tomoyuki Yanagi in 2004. They were joined by guitarist Tsubasa Hashimoto in 2006, and record producer and musician Keiichi Suzuki would begin to produce for the band in 2008 after developing an interest in their sound. They subsequently participated on the Commmons-released compilation album Strange Song Book: Tribute to Haruomi Hosono 2 (2008). In 2011, the band signed to indie label Kakubarhythm to release their debut studio album, World Record. It explores genres such as J-rap and dub pop for an avant garde and exotic-like sound, and peaked at number 170 on Oricon's Albums Chart. Following the album's release, Yanagi departed the band to focus on his work as an illustrator.
As a group of three, they released their next album My Lost City in 2012, which rose to 33rd on Oricon's chart. The band's third album, Obscure Ride (2015), won a finalist award at the 2016 CD Shop Awards. It was their first album to break into the top ten, charting on both Oricon's chart and Billboard Japan Hot Albums. The CD singles "Yellow Magus" and the double A-sided "Orphans" / "Yōsari" had been released in preparation for the album; both reached the top 30 of the Oricon Singles Chart and charted around 50 on Billboard Japan Hot 100. The same year as Obscure Ride, Takagi joined the FM802 program Music Freaks as a DJ on behalf of Cero alongside singer and guitarist Shunichi Tanabe. The band won Best Alternative Artist at the 2016 Space Shower Music Awards.
The band followed Obscure Ride with Poly Life Multi Soul in 2018, earning a second finalist accolade at the CD Shop Awards. Their most commercially successful album to date, it reached number four on Oricon's chart and eight on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums. They contributed music for the anime television series Carole & Tuesday in 2019. With the 2020s, all members of the band released solo albums: Takagi released Triptych (2020) under the solo project Shohei Takagi Parallela Botanica, Arauchi released Śisei (2021), and Hashimoto started the project Diorama Scene and released Awai (2022). The band's fifth and most recent album, E O (2023), peaked at number 27 on Oricon's chart.
Members Current members Shōhei Takagi vocals, guitar, flute (2004–present) Yū Arauchi keyboard, chorus vocals (2004–present) Tsubasa Hashimoto guitar, clarinet, chorus vocals (2006–present)
Former members Tomoyuki Yanagi drums (2004–2011)
Discography
Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions Title Album details Peak chart positions SalesCitations regarding sales numbers to albums by Cero: JPNCitations regarding chart positions outside the top 50: JPNComb JPNHot World Record Released: January 26, 2011 Label: Kakubarhythm 170 — —JPN: 1,121 My Lost City Released: October 24, 2012 Label: Kakubarhythm 33 — —JPN: 4,545 Obscure Ride Released: May 27, 2015 Label: Kakubarhythm 8 — 7JPN: 13,744 Poly Life Multi Soul Released: May 16, 2018 Label: Kakubarhythm 4 — 8JPN: 15,256 E O Released: May 24, 2023 Label: Kakubarhythm 27 41 31JPN: 3,620
Live albums + List of live albums Title Album details Obscures: Live at Zepp Tokyo & Obscure Ride Tour Document Released: February 24, 2016 Label: Kakubarhythm Formats: DVD Outdoors Released: December 7, 2016 Label: Kakubarhythm Formats: Blu-ray, DVD Poly Life Multi Soul Tour: Live at Zepp DiverCity Tokyo Released: January 23, 2019 Label: Kakubarhythm Formats: Blu-ray, DVD Live O Rec Released: September 11, 2024 Label: Kakubarhythm Formats: Digital download, streaming, CD
Singles + List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions Title Year Peak positionsSalesCitations regarding sales numbers to singles by Cero: AlbumJPNJPNHot"21-seiki no Hideri no Miyako ni Ame ga Furu" (21世紀の日照りの都に雨が降る) 2010 — —World Record"Musashino Cruise Exotica" (武蔵野クルーズエキゾチカ) 2011 — — rowspan="2" "Good Life" —"Yellow Magus" 2013 29 54JPN: 4,755 Obscure Ride"Orphans" 2014 23 48JPN: 4,119"Yōsari" (夜去) —"Summer Soul" 2015 — —"Machi no Shirase" (街の報せ) 2016 37 58JPN: 4,066 "Waters" 2018 — — Poly Life Multi Soul"Poly Life Multi Soul" 2019 — —"Fdf" 2020 — — E O"Nemesis" 2021 — —"Cupola" 2022 — —"Fuha" — —
Other charted songs + List of other charted songs as lead artist Title Year Peak positions AlbumJPNHot"Sakana no Hone Tori no Hane" (魚の骨鳥の羽根) 2018 33 Poly Life Multi Soul
Awards and nominations + List of awards and nominations for Cero Award Year Category Recipient Result CD Shop Awards 2016 Grand Prix Obsure Ride 2018 Poly Life Multi Soul 2024 E O Space Shower Music Awards 2016 Best Alternative Artist Cero
Notes
References
External links