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Japanese band From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Morfonica is a Japanese all-female rock band that is part of Bushiroad's media franchise BanG Dream!. Formed in 2020, the group's members portray fictional characters in the project's anime series and mobile game BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! in addition to performing their characters' respective instruments in live concerts.
Morfonica | |
|---|---|
Promotional art from the band's reveal, from left to right: Rui, Nanami, Mashiro, Tsukushi, and Tōko | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | Pop rock, symphonic rock |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Labels | Bushiroad Music |
| Spinoff of | BanG Dream! |
| Members |
|
The band consists of Amane Shindō (vocals), Hina Suguta (guitar), Yūka Nishio (bass), Mika (drums), and Ayasa (violin). In the game, Morfonica is represented by five first-year students at the prestigious Tsukinomori Girls' Academy: Mashiro Kurata (Shindō), Tōko Kirigaya (Suguta), Nanami Hiromachi (Nishio), Tsukushi Futaba (Mika), and Rui Yashio (Ayasa).
Of the nine bands in BanG Dream!, Morfonica is one of six whose members perform their own music during live shows.
Morfonica's formation was announced on 1 March 2020 during the franchise's live stream BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! @HHW CiRCLE Live Broadcasting Pre-3rd Anniversary Special. The band is the seventh in the franchise and the fourth that performs in live concerts after Poppin'Party, Roselia, and Raise A Suilen.[1] Morfonica is the only group in the project with a violinist, which was conceived by BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! developer Craft Egg to differentiate them from the others.[2]
During the stream, a music video for their song "Daylight" was broadcast; the video was animated by the BanG Dream! anime's studio Sanzigen.[3] A live-action music video and an introduction clip starring the voice actresses were released four days later.[4] The Morfonica-centric weekly YouTube show Morfonical, hosted by the band's members, began airing on 24 March.[5]
On 13 May, Morfonica was named Tower Records' recommended artist of May 2020. "Daylight" was released as their debut single two weeks later on 27 May.[6] The single sold over 15,000 copies in its first week, and peaked at second on the Oricon Weekly Singles Chart.[7] In June, the BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 4, a series of cover songs by Morfonica and other bands in the franchise, topped Oricon's Weekly Albums Chart with 2,231 sales in the opening week.[8]
The band's first concert, Special Live: Summerly Tone at the BanG Dream! 8th Live Summer Outdoors 3 Days alongside Poppin'Party and Pastel Palettes' Ami Maeshima with Raise A Suilen, took place on 23 August at Fuji-Q Highland Conifer Forest. Morfonica was the first of the three acts to perform, playing five songs.[9] Cantabile, Morfonica's maiden standalone performance, came on 7 October at Tokyo Garden Theater.[10] The live featured 12 songs, including the two from the "Daylight" single and four cover versions of popular anime theme music.[11]
Morfonica's second single "Bloom Bloom", which was revealed during Cantabile, was released on 13 January 2021.[11] The group held a "Friendship Live" concert with Poppin'Party, known as Astral Harmony, on 23 February at Yokohama Arena.[12] The band's second standalone show, titled Andante, took place on 21 May at Zepp Haneda. Morfonica also performed alongside Raise A Suilen at the BanG Dream! 9th Live, subtitled Mythology, on 4–5 September at Fuji-Q Highland Conifer Forest.[13] A sequel to Mythology was held 18 June 2022.[14]
"Harmony Day", the band's third single, came out on 6 October 2021.[15] One of the single's tracks, "Fateful..." was used as the second ending theme music for the anime Cardfight!! Vanguard overDress.[16] Later in the month, Morfonica began a two-stop concert tour, titled Amabile, at Zepp Osaka Bayside on 28 October and Zepp Haneda on 5 November.[17]
In 2022, Morfonica partnered with Jun'ichi Satō of the band Fhána for a song composed by Satō titled "The Circle of Butterflies". The collaboration also included Morfonica covers of Fhána's songs "Rhapsody of Blue Sky" and "Divine Intervention".[18][19] The band's fourth single "fly with the night" was released on 30 March.[20] They held the Resonance show at Tokyo Dome City Hall on 24 April; Nishio did not take part after testing positive for COVID-19, and backing tracks of her bass and vocals were used in her place.[21]
In the anime and game, Morfonica is a band of first-year high school students at the prestigious Tsukinomori Girls' Academy.[3] The group is formed by Mashiro Kurata, a new student who struggles to fit in with her more accomplished peers, after attending a concert by Poppin'Party and the other major bands.[26] Morfonica is a portmanteau of "morpho", in reference to their goals of changing themselves for the better (a metamorphosis), and "symphonic", alluding to their use of a violin.[27]
Morfonica's characters first appeared in Girls Band Party! in the main story's second season in 2019,[28] and were formally added as a group during the third-year anniversary on 15 March 2020 and later worldwide in 2021.[29] The band makes its anime debut in the 2020 spin-off series BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Pico: Ohmori.[30] A two-episode original anime focusing on the band titled Morfonication premiered in July 2022.[31][32]
As of 28 September 2022[update], Morfonica has 13 original songs.[33]
| Year | Title | Coupling track | Release date | Peak Oricon chart position | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | "Daylight" (Daylight -デイライト- 」) | "Prelude to Gold" (金色へのプレリュード, Konjiki e no Prelude) | 27 May | 2 | [34] | |
| 2021 | "Bloom Bloom (ブルームブルーム) | "flame of hope" | 13 January | 6 | [35] | |
| "Harmony Day" (ハーモニー・デイ) | "Sonorous", "Fateful..." | 6 October | 8 | [15] | ||
| 2022 | "fly with the Night" | "Secret Dawn" | 30 March | 7 | [20] | |
| "Yorube no Sunny, Sunny" (寄る辺のSunny, Sunny) | "One Step at a Time" | 14 September | 23 | Limited edition release includes Morfonication soundtrack | [36][37] |
| Year | Title | Release date | Peak Oricon chart position | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 4 (バンドリ！ ガールズバンドパーティ！ カバーコレクション Vol.4) | 27 May | 1 | Joined by Poppin'Party, Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, Roselia, Hello, Happy World!, and Raise A Suilen | [38] |
| Garupa Vocaloid Cover Collection (ガルパ ボカロカバーコレクション) | 16 December | 4 | [39] | ||
| 2021 | BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 5 (バンドリ！ ガールズバンドパーティ！ カバーコレクションVol.5) | 24 February | 6 | [40] | |
| "BanG Dream! FILM LIVE 2nd Stage" Special Songs | 25 August | 13 | [41] | ||
| BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 6 (バンドリ！ ガールズバンドパーティ！ カバーコレクションVol.6) | 10 November | 4 | [42] | ||
| 2022 | BanG Dream! Dreamer's Best | 16 March | 6 | Fan vote-determined compilation album with Morfonica's "Daylight", "flame of hope", and "Bloom Bloom" included | [43] |
| BanG Dream! Girls Band Party! Cover Collection Vol. 7 (バンドリ！ ガールズバンドパーティ！ カバーコレクションVol.7) | 14 December | 13 | Joined by Poppin'Party, Afterglow, Pastel Palettes, Roselia, Hello, Happy World!, and Raise A Suilen | [44] | |
| 2023 | Quintet | 15 March | 9 | [45] |
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