toe

Since 2000, toe has traced a singular line between pop, post‑rock, math‑rock, jazz, R&B and electronic music. The quartet’s lineup has never changed: Yamazaki Hirokazu and Mino Takaaki make the acoustic and electric guitars converse, Kashikura Takashi delivers precise drumming rich in syncopation and open space, while Yamane Satoshi’s bass links the staccato motifs and gives them breadth. A clear, vivid sound that prioritizes interaction and group dynamics.

Their debut album, the book about my idle plot on a vague anxiety (2005), made a mark on the instrumental scene. For Long Tomorrow (2009) moved toward pop and jazz and features Asako Toki on “Goodbye.” With Hear You (2015), the band pared things down, stretched motifs and opened the door to new voices and textures — from the drumless rap of “Time Goes” to the synths and tablas on “G.O.O.D L.U.C.K.” NOW I SEE THE LIGHT (2024) brings together the energy of their beginnings and their recent explorations, with a few sung contributions by Hirokazu that move away from strict instrumentalism.

toe will celebrate its 25th anniversary on 16 April 2026 at Le Trabendo in Paris. A date to revisit a repertoire shaped over two decades, between taut, nervy bursts, melodic motifs and repetitive cycles.