Formed in 2007 by Rissho University classmates Chiaki Satō (vocals, guitar), A-chan (guitar, keyboards), Shigeaki Taniguchi (bass), and Kon Nishimura (drums), Kinoko Teikoku (“Mushroom Empire”) were a Japanese shoegaze and dream pop band from Tokyo. Influenced by post-rock and shoegazing, the group started playing live in 2008 in small venues around the neighborhoods of Shimokitazawa and Shibuya. Their first mini-album Uzu ni Naru came out in 2012 and was followed by studio debut Eureka (2013) and the EP Long Good Bye (2013), which reached Number 56 on the Oricon charts. A second album titled Fake World Wonderland arrived in 2014, spawning the promotion tour City Girl City Boy and earning an award at the 7th CD Shop Awards in 2015. After signing with EMI Records, Kinoko Teikoku dropped the single “Sakura ga Saku Mae Ni,” included in their third LP Neko to Allergie (2015). Ai no Yukue, their fourth full-length hit the shelves in 2016 and became their highest-charting release, peaking at Number 19 on the Japanese Albums Chart. Following the release of Time Lapse in 2018, Kinoko Teikoku announced its dissolution in 2019.
