Flip-flopping between rap and rock over an electronically driven beat, King Gnu set themselves apart from other up and coming Japanese rock acts and are slowly but surely developing a sound all their own.

The young group shares more than a few similarites (though not so much musically) with girl-group CHAI, another young and talked-about group at this years’ fest; both bands previously toured the US together, appeared at SXSW last year, and most notably, both bands played Rookie-a-Go-Go last year to move on to larger stages at Fuji Rock this time around.

King Gnu was formed in 2015, when all members met and studied together at Tokyo National University of Art and Music. The four piece consists of Daiki Tsuneta (guitar/vocal), Satoru Iguchi (keyboard/vocal), Kazuki Arai (bass), and Seki You (drums/sampler).

They make use of a heavy and upbeat electronically driven sound peppered with hip-hop breaks in which vocalist Tsuneta sing/raps into a megaphone rig with a distorted voice. Iguchi’s vocals provide a smooth contrast, picking up verses and bridges, often belting out a high falsetto.

Though last year’s Rookie-a-Go-Go competitors CHAI may have been the official selection, King Gnu has also proven themselves as main stage material, gaining a well-deserved spot on the Red Marquee on Sunday morning.