Re:O are doing something genuinely unique in the UK music scene. As the country’s only Japanese x British band, based right here in Berkshire, they’ve been carving out a sound that pulls the best elements of J-pop, dark and goth pop, and Western rock and metal into something entirely their own. Their 10th single, ‘Reverie’ has just dropped, and it marks a significant shift for the band.
This is their first track written fully in Japanese since 2021, and it’s a deliberate choice that suits the emotional weight of what they’re exploring here. ‘Reverie’ deals with that ache of missing someone who once filled your everyday moments. Not necessarily loss through death, but through the natural drift that happens in relationships and friendships. The band put it beautifully, “like snow falling on your hand, melting without a trace. Human connections can be just as fragile, just as temporary”.
“But there’s hope woven through this track too. The song carries a simple wish: ‘May you always stay well.’ That optimism, the possibility that paths might cross again, elevates it beyond standard melancholy fare.”
Musically, Re:O have built something atmospheric and layered. The interplay between guitars and synths creates this push and pull of raw energy against something colder and more distant. Raw guitar riffs meet gentle bells that dance like falling snow, while Rio Suyama’s voice walks that line between tender and powerful. The production, handled by Suyama alongside Simon Jackson, gives everything room to breathe. There’s space here, an expansiveness that lets each element shine.
The track features the full lineup: Alex Carli on guitar, James Wright on bass, and James ‘J’ Stevens on drums, with Suyama also handling the artwork. It’s a complete creative vision from a band who clearly know exactly what they’re building.
‘Reverie’ is out now.
