When we first wrote about PaleNeØ, the story was speed: a band formed in April 2023 with a debut album out by the end of 2024. This is what happened after that.

The Second Album

The first album, SCØRE, came out on 4 December 2024. The band did not wait long to follow it. A maxi single, Raison d’etre, arrived in March 2025, and a second full album, FORTISSIMØ, on 16 July 2025.

That is two albums a little over seven months apart. The second one reached number 15 on Oricon’s daily album chart.

The tour for FORTISSIMØ ran to the end of the year, and the report on its final night in the Japanese rock press described a band on a clear upswing.

UNISØN

The next release came on 13 May 2026: a second maxi single, UNISØN, with three songs, “Prologue,” “Chocolat Maudit” and “Starlight Voyage.” A video for “Starlight Voyage” had been released that March.

The band presented the single around the theme of departure, as the opening of a new chapter. In an interview at the time, the stated ambition was to go and take the summit together.

Then it went on the road. The tour, titled Voyage in UNISØN, began on 16 May 2026 in Shizuoka and was booked for 17 shows in 16 cities. A further single, “MADVENTURE,” was announced for 16 October 2026.

The Titles

Put the band’s releases in a row and a pattern appears: ØCTAVE, SCØRE, FORTISSIMØ, UNISØN.

Every one is a musical term. An octave, a score, the marking for very loud, and the word for voices sounding together. And every one has the slashed Ø from the band’s name dropped into it.

It is a small thing. It also tells you this is a band that thinks about how it presents itself, down to the spelling.

The Lineup

The four members are the same four who started: Hohomi on vocals, AYARI and REOTO on guitar, and YONA on bass. Members of the band also write a column for a Japanese rock magazine, on subjects such as how they first picked up an instrument.

Why It Matters

Plenty of bands have a fast start. The harder part is the second year, when the novelty has gone. PaleNeØ’s answer was to release more and tour further.

Start with FORTISSIMØ, then “Starlight Voyage.”