New Lady Flash: “Tora Ba Yu”

A lot has changed since I saw Lady Flash play a tiny live house decorated in balloons out in Osaka — primarily, the band who were writing manic indie-pop about Earthbound have transformed into a half male, half female quartet prepping their first album for Dead Funny Records. “Tora Ba Yu” is the advance single from it — technically released last fall, but recent re-upped online in some really nice quality above — and even though the actual players in the group have changed, Lady Flash remain as zippy as they did back in that small space. They are no longer as manic, either — no sudden screaming, just zig-zagging guitar playing and some sweet (and funny!) vocals, but they maintain the same energy, making for a catchy bit of indie-pop that Osaka bands do so well. Watch the video below.