Nico Touches the Walls
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Music albums and singles |
Nico Touches the Walls (presented as NICO Touches the Walls) was a Japanese rock ensemble established in 2004, consisting of members Mitsumura Tatsuya, Sakakura Shingo, Furumura Daisuke, and Tsushima Shotaro. They swiftly earned acclaim by securing the Lotte Prize at the Yamaha Teen Music Festival during their inaugural year. Initially affiliated with Senha & Company, the group moved to Sony Music Japan's Ki/oon Records in 2007, debuting their major-label single "Yoru no Hate" in February 2008.
The band gained considerable attention through their contributions to anime soundtracks, bolstering their visibility in the music market. Songs such as “Mashi Mashi” were featured as the ending theme for Haikyuu!! season 3, while "Broken Youth," "Diver," and "Niwaka Ame ni Mo Makezu" were included in the Naruto: Shippuden series. Their acclaimed track "Hologram" was chosen as an opening theme for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, among other projects.
After a 15-year run, Nico Touches the Walls officially disbanded in November 2019.
Formation and Early Phase (2004–2007)
Established in 2004, Nico Touches the Walls earned the Lotte Prize at that year's Yamaha Teens' Music Festival. Their momentum increased after signing with indie label Senha & Company in 2006, releasing two mini albums: Walls Is Beginning and Runova X Handover. In 2007, they secured a deal with Ki/oon Records and put out two additional mini albums: Eden in June and How Are You? in November.
Who Are You? Era (2008)
The group made a swift leap from indie status to a major label in 2008. That year, they appeared in a commercial for Glico's Pocky. Their first major single "Yoru no Hate" was launched in February 2008 and reached number 64 on the Oricon Chart. The follow-up single "The Bungy", released on June 4, showcased a change in musical style. The track "Broken Youth", used as an ending theme for the anime Naruto: Shippuden, became one of their standout hits, climbing to number 24 on Japanese charts. Their debut studio album Who Are You?, released on September 24, compiled all prior singles and debuted at number 11. To promote this album, they embarked on the "Tour 2008 Bon voyage, Etranger," which began with a special concert in Shibuya on October 15 and concluded in Tokyo on December 14.
Aurora Period (2009–2010)
On May 13, 2009, nine months after their first album, they released the single "Big Foot". Benefiting from their exposure through Naruto: Shippuden, they provided "Hologram" as an opening theme for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood in August; this track became their highest-charting single on Oricon and achieved substantial ringtone sales. After strong performances at summer festivals, they released "Kakera subete no Omoitachi he-" on November 4—a mid-tempo piece serving as the main theme for the TV drama Bocho Mania 09. Their second studio album Aurora followed on November 24. Supporting this release, they launched Tour 2009-2010 & Auroras, culminating with their inaugural appearance at Nippon Budokan on March 27, 2010.
Passenger (2010–2011)
After making their debut at Budoukan, Nico Touches the Walls embarked on the "Tour 2010 Michi Naki Michi" starting May 16, 2010. This live house tour focused on venues they had not yet performed at and introduced new material. The tour concluded on June 12 at Yokohama Blitz, where the final concert was recorded, leading to the release of the single "Sudden Death Game" on August 11, 2010. Chosen for its strong audience reception, this was their only single issued that year.
In November, it was revealed that Nico Touches the Walls would undertake a joint tour with Flumpool scheduled for January 2011.
On January 12, 2011, the band released the single "Diver" alongside the Michi Naki Michi tour DVD titled "You Say No Way, We Say Go Way." This track served as the eighth opening theme for TV Tokyo’s anime Naruto: Shippuden starting October 2010, marking their second contribution to the series. "Diver" became their highest-charting single to date, peaking at number 7 on Japan’s Oricon chart, and was their first to enter the top ten. The collaborative tour with Flumpool began that same month at Zepp venues in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, representing their inaugural co-headlining tour.
Their third studio album, Passenger, was released on April 4, 2011, more than a year following Aurora. The song "Matryoshka" from this album was selected as the opening theme for Fuji TV's anime C - the Money of Soul and Possibility Control in April.
To promote Passenger, Nico Touches the Walls launched a nationwide tour titled "Tour 2011 Passenger: We Are Passionate Messenger," which started on April 13 at Kashiwa Palooza and wrapped up on June 10 at Zepp Tokyo.
Humania (2011–2012)
During their June 10 performance at Zepp Tokyo, Nico Touches the Walls announced a summer single entitled "Te o Tatake", which was released on August 17 and featured in a LISMO television commercial. On August 21, they held a live Ustream event called Minnade tsukurou Te o Tatake Network and Acoustic Live, where fans who purchased the single participated by submitting collaborative hand clapping videos via a dedicated website.
In September, bassist Shingo Sakakura contributed the song "Endless Roll" to the soundtrack of the film Switch o Osu Toki, which premiered on September 17. By October, their track "Bicycle" was chosen as the theme song for the drama 11 Nin mo Iru!, written by Kudo Kankuro.
Eight months after releasing their previous album, they unveiled Humania on December 7. The album debuted at number 10 on the Oricon Chart, marking their first entry into the top ten album rankings. To support this release, they launched a nationwide tour named "Tour 2012 Humania," beginning January 13 at Yokohama Blitz. The second portion of the tour, titled "Ground of Humania," started March 10 in Nagoya and concluded March 20 in Chiba.
On December 3, Nico Touches the Walls appeared on Fuji TV's program "Music Fair," performing "Dramatic Rain" alongside singer Inagaki Junichi and later featuring their song "Bicycle."
Algorhytmique and Shout to the Walls! (2012–2013)
On March 20, during their performance in Chiba, the group introduced the track "Natsu no Daisankakkei", which was simultaneously used in a Calpis Water advertisement released that day. Both the single and their second collection of music videos, titled "Library 2", became available on May 16, 2012. To support the single's release, they organized an open-air concert at Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park, where they filmed a live video for "Rappa to Musume". This event was broadcast live via Ustream.
Their inaugural interview compilation book, Nico Touches the Walls Trip Tragetory - Interview and Photo Chronicle 2007-2012, featuring discussions from their indie era up to 2011, was initially planned for May but ultimately published on July 25.
Beginning September 27, Nico Touches the Walls embarked on their most extensive tour to date, Tour 2012 "Algorhytmique", consisting of 23 shows running through December. During this tour, they revealed plans for their 11th single "Yume 1 Go", scheduled for a December release; one of the concerts was postponed due to a member’s health issue. On November 16, they unveiled the new song and accompanying music video through a multi-channel online broadcast from Zepp Tokyo. The single was officially released on December 19, with the tour concluding a day later in Osaka. Additionally, "Runner," a track composed by Mitsumura during his high school years and featured on TBS's Ekiden, received a limited digital release between December 26 and January 8.
In early 2013, the band announced their first release of the year on Jamboriii Station: "Mr. Echo", which came out on March 27 alongside the B-side "Chain Reaction," used in collaboration with New Balance. April saw "Niwaka Ame ni Mo Makezu" become their third opening theme contribution for Naruto: Shippuden.
Their fifth studio album, Shout to the Walls!, dropped on April 24 and became their first album to break into the top five charts with over 10,000 copies sold in its initial week. To commemorate this milestone, they held a special concert at Zepp Tokyo that was streamed live on YouTube. On May 16, promoting the album further, they launched their first nationwide hall tour sponsored by New Balance, titled "New Balance presents Nico Touches the Walls Tour 2013 Shout to the Walls!", culminating at Tokyo’s NHK Hall.
Nico Touches the Walls no Best (2013–2014)
As the Shout to the Walls! tour neared its end, on July 10, the band issued the single "Niwaka Ame ni Mo Makezu", which had been previously used as an opening theme for Naruto: Shippuden.
Starting January 14, 2014, they embarked on a three-date series called Nico Touches the Walls no Fest., performing alongside BigMama, [Alexandros], and Creephyp. The track "Pandora" featured in the Japanese film Genome Hazard, released January 24. From February 1 onward, they initiated their Himitsukichi project titled "Kabe Ni Mimi", delivering twenty performances across Tokyo within that month and releasing their first greatest hits compilation, NICO Touches the Walls no Best, on February 5. The band followed this with their 14th single "Rawhide" on March 5; its accompanying track "Tayou ga Warattera" was included in the film 7 Days Report.
Between May 31 and June 15, Nico Touches the Walls conducted five shows as part of their zepp tour NICO Touches the Walls no Zepp, beginning in Osaka and concluding in Tokyo. After being selected as the ending theme for the TV series Haikyuu, they released "Tenchi Gaeshi" as their 15th single on June 11. The music video for "Bakemono", which served as the theme song for the drama Hensachi 70, premiered on June 19 through their official YouTube channel; it saw digital release on July 1.
On August 19, Nico Touches the Walls performed at Nippon Budokan for a second time with a sold-out show titled Nico Touches the Walls no Budokan, drawing an audience exceeding 9,000. This concert was framed as a return following their initial Budokan appearance in 2010. The next day, August 20, they released the single "Tokyo Dreamer", whose title track was featured in the anime series Captain Earth, broadcast by MBS.
Howdy!! We are ACO Touches the Walls (2015)
At their yearly concert titled "1125" held on November 25 at Club Citta in Kanagawa, the group revealed plans for their inaugural acoustic album, Howdy!! We are ACO Touches the Walls. This album, released on February 4, entered the Oricon charts at position seven. Subsequently, on February 12 and 14, they performed at Billboard Live: Howdy We are ACO Touches the Walls events in Tokyo and Osaka.
"Uzu to Uzu" and Yuuki mo Ai mo Nai Nante (2015–2016)
Commencing May 21, the band embarked on their first nationwide tour in two years with the 21-show Tour 2015 "Massuguna Tour." Their seventeenth single, "Massuguna Uta," was launched on June 24, and the tour wrapped up at Tokyo International Forum A on July 19.
Nico Touches the Walls provided "Uzu to Uzu" as the second opening theme for TBS's anime The Heroic Legend of Arslan. They also announced their debut arena concert at Osaka-Jo Hall titled Live Special 2015 Uzu to Uzu ~Nishi no Uzu~ scheduled for December 23, along with a third Nippon Budokan performance, Uzu to Uzu ~Higashi no Uzu~, set for January 9. The "Uzu to Uzu" single was released on September 2.
On November 13, guitarist Daisuke Furumura sustained an injury to his right hand, which resulted in the immediate cancellation and postponement of subsequent shows. The Osaka-Jo Hall performance was rescheduled to May 2016 as Live Special 2016 Uzu to Uzu ~Nishi no Uzu~.
The band returned to Nippon Budokan on January 8, 2016, for their third appearance with Special Live 2016 Uzu to Uzu ~Higashi no Uzu~, where they introduced three new tracks. They also revealed plans for their first studio album in three years, Yuuki mo Ai mo Nai Nante, which was released on March 16.
They contributed the song "Strato" as the theme for the Japanese movie Hero Mania ~Seikatsu~, releasing both the single and their third music video compilation DVD, Library Vol. 3, on May 3.
Their single "Mashi Mashi," which debuted on November 30, 2016, was used as the ending theme for the third season of the anime series Haikyuu.
Oyster and Twister (2017–2018)
On November 25, 2017, they organized a live festival event named "1125/2017" at Makuhari Messe International Exhibition Center. This event featured guest performances from artists such as Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra.
The CD release "Oyster-EP-" came out on December 6 and included two discs: a primary CD containing five new compositions and a supplementary acoustic disc.
The nationwide Nico Touches the Walls "N X A" Tour commenced in June 2018. On July 25, they issued "Twister-EP-", another two-disc release similar in structure to "Oyster-EP-", featuring five fresh songs alongside acoustic versions.
Members
- Tatsuya Mitsumura (光村龍哉; born September 8, 1985) – vocals, guitar
- Daisuke Furumura (古村大介; born March 1, 1985) – guitar
- Shingo Sakakura (坂倉心悟; born July 24, 1985) – bass guitar
- Shotaro Tsushima (対馬祥太郎; born January 28, 1985) – drums
Supporting members
- Kousuke Noma (埜間浩介; born 1974) – keyboards
Discography
- Who are you? (2008)
- Aurora (2009)
- Passenger (2011)
- Humania (2011)
- Shout to the Walls! (2013)
- Yuuki mo Ai mo Nai Nante (2016)
- Quizmaster (2019)
Tours
- 2007–08 Tour: A Queen Of The Night
- 2008 Tour: Bon voyage, Etranger
- 2009–10 Tour: "& Auroras"
- 2010 Tour: Michi Naki Michi
- 2011 Tour: Passenger ~We are Passionate Messenger~
- 2012 Tour: Humania / Ground of Humania
- 2012 Tour: "Algorhytmique"
- New Balance presents Nico Touches the Walls Tour 2013: Shout to the Walls!
- 2015 Tour: Massuguna Tour
- 2016 Tour: "Yuuki mo Ai mo Nai Nante"
Single-Day Shows
- "Walls Is Auroras" held at Nippon Budokan
- Day of Apollo / Night of Luna event
- Nico Touches the Walls no Budokan concert
- Live Special 2016 Uzu to Uzu ~Higashi no Uzu~
- Live Special 2016 Uzu to Uzu ~Nishi no Uzu~
Awards
| Year | Work Nominated | Award Title | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | The Band | Yamaha Teen Music Festival: Lotte Prize | Won |
| 2013 | "Yume 1 gou" | Space Shower Music Video Awards: Best Music Video | Nominated |
| 2014 | "Niwaka Ame ni Mo Makezu" | Space Shower Music Video Awards: Best Music Video | Nominated |
| 2015 | "Tokyo Dreamer" | Space Shower Music Video Awards: Best Music Video | Nominated |