Don’t Sleep On The Potential: Terakoya

Potential. Few words in the English language offer such weak, almost backhanded, praise. “Man, nice drawing, you got so much potential.” Translation – go to grad school for something other than art. “Potential” usually lands you a spot in the later rounds of the NFL Draft, doomed for Canada or (gasp) the UFL. So please understand that when I say Osaka band Terakoya I am not implying they will suffer the musical equivalent of playing for the Omaha Nighthawks (sorry Maurice Clarett!). I truly do mean they could be something special.

My main reason for believing this…”Festival To Pray For Rain.” It’s a demo…hence, potential…but it shows a group understanding a certain style of rock very well. The style in question breaks no new ground; it’s basically the same retro vein Yo La Tengo mined to perfection over the years. Terakoya do it well, finding a solid beat to place the guitar whines around. The most intriguing and offsetting quality of “Festival” is the vocals. Sometimes too rushed into the song but at other times delivered in a fast, near yelp, that standout on the track. It’ll be interesting to see where Terakoya will go, but lets marvel at raw potential while we still can. Listen here.