Fink of Angel Face: "People Sometimes Say We Sound Poppier Than on the First Album, but Given the Backstory, We Don't Feel Like We've Really Changed"

Tokyo punk veteran Fink has always held fast to the raw, blown-out blitz that made his earlier groups (Teengenerate, Firestarter, American Soul Spiders) such cult touchstones. With his latest group Angel Face, he channels that legacy through a new prism of gang-vocal hooks, buzzsaw guitars, and melodies sharp enough to cut through the noise. The Tokyo foursome of Hercules (handcuffed to the mic), Fink (guitar), Toyozo (bass), and Rayco (drums) are nothing if not unstoppable, channeling decades of Japanese punk lineage into a sound that's as wild and tuneful as ever: a collision of garage rock grit and power pop precision. On their second LP, Out In The Street, the band tears through ten new tracks that captures everything great about their scene. Recorded live in their cramped Tokyo rehearsal space, Out In The Street feels like the next natural step for the group that follows 2023's debut LP and pair of 45s. Hercules howls with total conviction while Fink, Toyozo, and Rayco slash and swing with an unshakable sound that balances chaos with a deep, instinctive sense of songcraft. It's another snapshot that real rock 'n' roll is alive and well, and thriving in Tokyo's underground.

Photos by Takada Yuko

Hot Sounds: The last time we talked (March '24), Angel Face had just released the "I Can't Go Back / New Generator" 45 and their debut LP. A lot has happened since then including a tour in the USA. How has it been playing rock 'n' roll together over the last couple of years? What have you enjoyed most about it? 

Fink: Well, last year we played Gonerfest in Memphis, and we hit a regional fest in Seattle called Bigfoot Stomp and even managed a short PNW tour in August this year. Memphis was our first overseas tour, but honestly the response might be better than in Japan. The scene back home is small, so we end up playing to the same crowd a lot. Overseas, most people are hearing us for the first time, so it probably feels fresh to them. That’s why getting invites from abroad is starting to be something we’re all really excited about.

HS: What were some of the highlights from your visit to the USA last year?

F: Personally, it was my first time back in both Memphis and Seattle in 30 years, and the biggest win was getting to reconnect with old friends and bands from '90s scene.

HS: What can you tell me about your upcoming second LP Out In The Street and what insight can you share about when/how its ten tracks were recorded? 

F: Actually, about half the songs on this record already existed when we recorded the first album. The arrangements and lyrics just didn’t sit right by the time of that session, so we kept playing them live, our sound came together, and we decided to record them this past January. Same as always — we set up the mics ourselves in the tiny rehearsal room we use as a band. That's the new record. People sometimes say we sound poppier than on the first album, but given the backstory — how the arrangements locked in and that affected which songs made the cut — we don’t feel like we’ve really changed. That said, since it’s an album, we do try to keep some range so it’s not all the same kind type of track in rock 'n' roll sound. Though, sure, to some folks it might all sound the same anyway.

HS: Today your label Slovenly shared with us the second single and album opener "Searchin' For The Truth." Where did the idea for this toon come about? 

F: I wrote this one after getting inspired by a young band dude named Konosuke I sometimes chat with at a bar I go to a lot. His straight-up dedication to rock ’n’ roll really hit me. Like our other lyrics, there’s not much meaning to it, though. I thought the title was kinda cheesy and meant to change it, but I spaced and it ended up on the record as is. It’s a live favorite in Japan, but I’m not sure how it’ll go over in the States. Maybe it’s a bit too pop?

HS: The other two tracks I really like on this record are "Let Me Go" and "Wastin' Time." How did these two come together?

F: These two tracks are both kinda old. We hadn’t been playing them live and had pretty much forgotten about them. When we started working on the album, someone in the band brought them up. We gave them another shot, they started to click, so we recorded them. “Wastin Time” especially ended up with a structure that’s pretty far from the original idea, but I’m into how it turned out. Though the lick of this was a little ripped from Belgium P.I.G.Z. tune called " Stooges." Glad you like it.

HS: What's your favorite memory or story behind the making of this new album? 

F: Yeah, recording-wise it was the same as always. We prepped about 20 songs and knocked them out in a day. Nothing special or different. I guess we did have more guest singers this time, though just on the choruses. My brother Fifi from Firestarter, Itachou from the Broken Hearts, RockinJesus from the Thunderroads, and so on. The cover art for the album was done by our vocalist Hercules again, same as the first record. He was struggling to come up with a good idea and was cramming till the last minute. People who bought it told me it feels a bit dated.

HS: I know you and your brother don't play in groups together anymore, but what are some of your favorite memories from your days in the American Soul Spiders, Teengenerate, and Firestarter? 

F: Yeah, I’ve met a lot of people, but I think Fifi’s a rare one who stands head and shoulders above the rest in the rock ’n’ roll world — vocals, guitar, songwriting, the whole package. Everything he does is unique. On the flip side, he’s strong-willed, so being in a band and touring with him even as brothers could be a handful. And he’s a big drinker [laughs]. But he’s mellowed out these past few years, though. It’s just a shame he can’t play guitar because of an illness — nobody plays like he does.

HS: What's the story behind the famous photo of Teengenerate that's displayed on the wall at  Superiority Burger in New York City?

F: When Superiority Burger Tokyo was located in Harajuku, owner Brooks Headley would often visit Japan from New York. He was formerly the drummer for the New York hardcore punk band Born Against, and also for Universal Order of Armageddon back in the '90s. He happened to stop by Poor Cow, a rock bar run by Fifi in Shimokitazawa. He loved the original punk, power pop, R&B, and old pop music played at the bar, and began coming every day while he was in Tokyo. We actually haven’t known him that long, so that photo really surprised us and I really appreciate it.

HS: Looking back on your entire career, is there anything that you are the most proud of or that has given you the most satisfaction to have made or done?

F: I’ve got a ton of memories like that since starting the band. If I had to pick just one, it’d be when our first American Soul Spiders record got set to come out on Sympathy for the Record Industry in 1990. We’d put out our first EP on Tokyo’s 1+2 Records, and someone who saw us live sent it to Long Gone John. Then he hit us up saying he wanted to release the same record on his label. We were huge Sympathy fans back then, so we were over the moon. I still remember waiting impatiently for the release date.

HS: Being based in Syracuse, New York and knowing The Flashcubes guys, I feel obligated to ask what it was like working on their Raw Power Pop –The Flashcubes Live In Japan album?

F: Both Fifi and I have been huge Flashcubes fans since '80s. When they first came to Japan in 2002, Firestarter played with them. Their set was insane — still easily in my top three shows I’ve ever seen. Back then it was super rare for a real-deal original power pop band from 70s to tour Japan, so we asked the promoter and got permission to record their whole show at Shelter Club. Later, Greg heard that mix and it turned into a CD release on a Japanese label. The only bummer is that while the mix was raw and really hit hard, the mastering kind of "modernized" the sound, which is a shame.

HS: Who are some of your favorite groups in Tokyo right now? I really like The Fadeaways, Hazy Sour Cherry, Falling Sugar, The Highmarts, and Pretits. 

F: They’re all great. I’m with you. The scene here is small, but they’re definitely one of Tokyo’s standout pop bands, and I love them too. That said, since some Angel Face folks are also in Fadeaways and Fallin Sugar, I'll throw out a few different picks. If you’re catching shows in Japan, I’d recommend Fretbuzz, Black And White, Beach Cat Club, The Brokenhearts, Geros, Small Speaker, The Smog, Gunk, and She’s.

HS: What's next for Angel Face after Out In The Street? The group will be making their European debut soon right? 

F: Yeah, in October we’re playing the Funtastic Dracula Carnival, which happens every year in Benidorm, Spain. Aside from that, we’ll be doing lots of gigs around Japan. Release-wise, Target Earth Records reached out about putting out a single next year. Pretty sure we’ll be doing a bunch more recording and touring next year too.

HS: Let’s end this interview with some of your favorite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

F: Yeah, I’d say the two LPs I picked up recently that I’d recommend are:

• Danny Ayala – Only Fools Love Again (Reminder Records)

• Nederpunk – The Early Years 1977–1982 (Suburban Records)

Out In The Street is out October 10th on Slovenly Recordings.