On June 21 and 22, Yokohama Arena buzzed with excitement as Suchmos made their long-awaited return from hiatus with ‘Suchmos The Blow Your Mind 2025.’ Having paused activities since 2021, the band’s comeback was eagerly anticipated by fans and critics alike. Music writer and editor Yukako Yajima, who has been following Suchmos since their breakthrough with the 2015 EP ‘Essense,’ takes us inside the unforgettable opening night.
INDEX
The Ongoing Journey of Suchmos, Even in Hiatus
The story of Suchmos has never truly paused.
That was the feeling that grew inside me as I watched their live performance that day.
Suchmos made their debut in 2015 with the release of their first EP, ‘Essence.’ In February 2021, they announced an indefinite hiatus. This concert marked their return after five and a half years since January 2020. In fact, the band hadn’t played together since March 2020, when their planned ‘Suchmos The Blow Your Mind TOUR 2020’ was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That tour, which would have included unforgettable two-man shows at venues like Zepp alongside artists such as Yumi Matsutoya, Mr.Children, and The Birthday, was destined to become legendary. Their last live appearance before the break was an online show in July 2020, almost five years ago.
In the meantime, the band endured the heartbreaking loss of HSU (bass), a key member who was vital to Suchmos’ formation and sound.
Picking up again as a band was far from easy, and it certainly wasn’t a given that they would return. Yet, the feeling I took away from that night was clear: the story of Suchmos didn’t stop in 2021 — it has been continuing all along.
TAIHEI (piano) launched bands like Sai and N.S.DANCEMBLE, offered support to artists including STUTS and Rei, and realized his long-held goal of composing music for film and theater. A notable example is the new live track “Eye to Eye,” which appears to draw on the experience TAIHEI gained from collaborating with acclaimed trumpeters Yusuke Sase (Sai) and Reiya Terakubo (N.S.DANCEMBLE), shaping its arrangement.
TAIHEI (Pf) has started bands such as Sai and N.S. DANCEMBLE, supported STUTS and Rei, and realized the theatrical music he had always wanted to do. For example, the new song “Eye to Eye,” which was performed at a live concert, is an example of TAIHEI’s experience gained while playing in a band with the famous trumpeters Yusuke Sase (Sai) and Reiya Terakubo (N.S. DANCEMBLE). I think the experience I gained while playing in a band with trumpeters Yusuke Sase (Sai) and Reiya Terakubo (N.S.DANCEMBLE) is used in the arrangements.
After a period of stepping back from the spotlight, YONCE (vocals) rediscovered the simple joy of “music and being in a band” through his five-member group Hedigan’s, all while remarkably deepening the emotional depth of his singing.
Brothers Kaiki Ohara (DJ) and OK (drums) were also exploring their own musical aesthetics on a more local scale, one that Suchmos as a band could no longer operate within. For example, the new song “Marry,” performed that day, seems to be a piece made possible by OK and TAIKING’s vocal harmonies, combined with YONCE’s growth after creating “Saisei” with Hedigan’s.
A band isn’t simply an expression of one person’s life or ideas — it’s a living entity formed by the intertwined lives and thoughts of all its members. Suchmos, in particular, has always believed in this way of being a band.
What I saw at Yokohama Arena on June 21, 2025, was “Suchmos” as a single living organism, woven from the lives and feelings of YONCE, TAIKING, TAIHEI, OK, Kaiki Ohara, and HSU. Each movement of their hearts, each chapter of their lives, seemed to emerge as today’s Suchmos. During the hiatus, none of them shed the identity of being “their version of Suchmos.” The sense I felt—that the story of Suchmos has been continuing all along—came from this very truth.
