Hi-Standard

See all 21 pictures

Play Radio

Listen to Hi-Standard Radio, featuring artists like Ken Yokoyama, BRAHMAN, Hawaiian6, LOW IQ 01 and more…

• 
  Search on Spotify

  Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more

1,305,320 plays (58,058 listeners)
In your library (0 plays)

Shop now at Amazon | Send Hi-Standard Ringtones to Cell

More options

• Download
• Amazon
• Send Ringtones to Cell
• Tonefuse Search

Add to my Library

(1991 – 2000)

Hi-Standard are a Japanese punk rock group who formed in 1991. Since then, they have become a popular and influential part of Japanese underground music. The release of their hugely popular “Making the Road” sparked sold-out Japan shows and US/European tours with punk bands such as NOFX, Wizo, and No Use For A Name. Although Hi-Standard were Japanese born, all of their major releases were sung in English. Live footage of the band shows them talking to the crowd in their native Japanese and then immediately changing to English for the songs.

Style
Although classed as a ‘punk rock’ band, lyrically they were not angry or politically charged like many other punk bands. Many songs were about meeting a new girl, lost love, or the transition from teenage years to adulthood. The song “Teenagers are all assholes” from their final LP “Making the road” talks about how there is no justification for violence, with lyrics such as “Don’t torment your friends and neighbors/Someday you’ll see you are small/There is no good reason to assault somebody/If you wanna beat someone/Beat yourself”. Musically they were very similar to many other popular punk-rock bands that were big in the 90’s, such as NOFX, Millencolin and The Vandals; most of their songs were very fast and catchy, with a few slower songs scattered here and there. “Making the road” was probably their most musically diverse release, featuring some very fast, hard songs (Just Rock, Crows) mixed in with slower songs (Endless Trip, Dear my Friends) and even a gentle piccolo-driven instrumental (Tinkerbell Hates Goatees).

Read more… Edit

Popular tags: punk, japanese, punk rock, rock, j-punk  See more

Shouts: 56 shouts

Share this artist:

• Send
• Tweet

Top Albums

• Making the Road
  Hi-Standard

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 $8.99
  • 7digital $9.99
  • iTunes $9.99
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon $13.54
  • eBay Search
• Angry Fist
  Hi-Standard

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 Search
  • 7digital Search
  • iTunes $9.99
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon $3.99
  • eBay Search
• Growing Up
  Hi-Standard

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 Search
  • 7digital Search
  • iTunes Search
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon $4.38
  • eBay Search
• Love Is a Battlefield
  Hi-Standard

  Buy

  • Download Album
  • Amazon MP3 $3.96
  • 7digital $3.99
  • iTunes $3.96
  • Buy Album
  • Amazon $11.71
  • eBay Search

Top Tracks

• Last Week
• Last 6 months

1		Stay Gold			197
2		Teenagers Are All Assholes			83
3		Standing Still			82
4		Dear My Friend			81
4		Wait for the Sun			81
6		Glory			79
7		Turning Back			78
8		No Heroes			77
9		Please Please Please			73
9		Brand New Sunset			73
11		Starry Night			71
12		My Sweet Dog			70
13		Just Rock			64
13		Endless Trip			64
15		Nothing			63

Buy all tracks at Amazon MP3

See more