Japanese musicians usually reach the international heavy scene by touring it. DAIDAI, guitarist of Paledusk, got there another way: one of the biggest bands in modern rock asked for help making its records.
The Three Songs
The band is Bring Me The Horizon, and the credits are on the public record.
In June 2023, BMTH released “AmEN!”, featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Daryl Palumbo of Glassjaw. DAIDAI handled the arrangement. In October 2023 came “DArkSide,” produced by BMTH frontman Oli Sykes, Zakk Cervini and DAIDAI. And in January 2024, “Kool-Aid” — the band’s first new song with its changed lineup — arrived with DAIDAI credited for songwriting and production.
All three belong to the POST HUMAN: NeX GEn era. That’s three singles from an arena-level British band carrying the name of a guitarist from Fukuoka. Japanese rock has exported plenty of performers. It has exported very few people into that particular room.
Why DAIDAI
The answer is in Paledusk’s own records. The band is known for songs that swerve — metalcore into electronics into pop into something else — without falling apart. That’s an arranger’s skill: knowing how to cut between ideas at speed and keep the listener on board. It’s also what BMTH’s recent music does. The fit isn’t a coincidence.
Paledusk began writing in Fukuoka in 2014 and started playing live in April 2015. The signings that followed tell the story of a band heard abroad early: Australia’s Greyscale Records in 2020, the European agency Avocado Bookings in 2021, the American label SharpTone Records in 2023.
What It Means
The usual Japanese export story is a band proving it can play as well as its Western heroes. DAIDAI’s is different: a Japanese musician whose ideas were wanted by the heroes themselves. For anyone following how Japanese heavy music is being heard overseas, that’s a new kind of milestone.
Hear “DArkSide” and “Kool-Aid,” then go back to Paledusk. You’ll recognise the hand. Our guide to where to start with the band is here.
