I Stay Here - ママのいない朝 ep [2007]

Epic post-rock screamo that preceded Johann

I Stay Here was a Third Wave Japanese Screamo group from Kashiwa, Chiba. Although most of their existence was towards the end of the Second Wave, their only release, ママのいない朝 ep, came out in the middle of 2007. Soon after that release (in February of 2008), they disbanded and reformed as the post-rock group Johann.

The two tracks on their EP definitely rely on the Envy-influenced Japanese melodic screamo sound a ton. With both tracks taking up almost 20 minutes together, there’s also a major attempt at post-rock. A year after they disbanded, their new band Johann would already release their demo, showing they were already desiring a different direction than I Stay Here took.

I had heard the title track on this EP years ago on Myspace, and somehow had saved a very low-res mp3 that has bounced around on my computers over the years. Finally getting to hear the entire EP in the best possible quality is so amazing.

I’m also curious whether they ever wrote or performed more than the two songs here. The live videos (linked above and below) only show them performing those songs. And a 20 minute set is pretty normal for most bands in Japan. So, it’s certainly possible that even though the band was around for almost 5 years, they only really finished 2 songs. Like many other screamo bands in Tokyo (looking at you, Gauge Means Nothing), they struggled to find a permanent drummer. That also likely contributed to a diminished output.

The main song was also featured (or supposed to be) on a compilation from Listen to Aylin Records from Norway. As Johann was also being included in the compilation, I’d imagine that Christer was talking to a member that carried through both.

Some of their webpages are still accessible, such as an Audioleaf page, and their Mixi community. Another gem from the Japanese underground…