The great thing about Fuji Rock is how it can surprise you. There are the acts you know are going to be great, and the ones you’ve heard of and are interested in testing out, and the ones you know you aren’t interested in. But the real magic is in the curveballs. Like Sapporo’s twisted techno-pop duo LAUSBUB.

Two high school friends who obviously have the simpatico taste that only outsider high school friends can have, put on a Friday set that was a glitchy, distorted, catchy and a thoroughly engaging experience.

Bassist Mei Takahashi provided the stable foundation with solid bass lines and cute but no frills vocals while guitarist and synth maestro Riko Iwai went crazy all over the top of it. The combination was catchy without being saccharine, unpredictable without being erratic. The music was propulsive without being dance-y and dark without being morose. Something that needed to be heard to be understood. Kind of like hard candy that aggravates a cavity when you bite it. But come on, you’re gonna bite it.

Towards the end of the set Riko really went wild on the turntables, transitioning everything into a twisted EDM dance party. Still, though, spinning a consistent thread to hold on to while the surface went bonkers.

The real Rosetta Stone to understanding the band seems to be their cover of Haruomi Hosono’s Sports Men, which actually happened during their soundcheck. Nothing beats a layer of grinding, chanting repetition on top of a foundation of melody and all sprinkled with distortion and experimentation. LAUSBUB seems to have learned this lesson well. Just another instance in life of having Hosono-san to thank.

In the end, if this is what public schools in Hokkaido are producing I say let’s increase funding and make Sapporo a model for education nationwide.