Friend Chord
{{Infobox album
| name = Friend Chord
| type = studio
| artist = Hitorie
| cover = Hitorie - Friend Chord album cover.jpg
| caption = Cover art for Friend Chord, designed by Yuta Ichinose. It features english text on a blue background, with the album and band's title in the top left and bottom right, respectively.
| released = {{Start date|2025|1|22}}
| genre = Japanese rock, pop rock, math rock, shoegaze{{Cite web |last=Department |first=Skream! Editorial |title=ヒトリエ |url=https://skream.jp/interview/2025/01/hitorie.php |access-date=2025-02-01 |website=Skream! 邦楽ロック・洋楽ロック ポータルサイト}}
| length = 37:45
| language = Japanese
| label = Hinichijou, Sony Music Associated Records
| prev_title = Pharmacy
| prev_year = 2022
| misc = {{Singles|type=studio|single1=Juggernaut
| single1date= November 8, 2023 |single2=on the front line
| single2date= April 15, 2024 |single3= Notok
|single3date= November 27, 2024}}
}}
Friend Chord is a studio album by Japanese rock band Hitorie. It is their third album since the death of frontman wowaka and their seventh album overall. It was released on January 22, 2025. It contains the previously released singles Juggernaut and on the front line, which was released as the opening theme to the second cour of Mushoku Tensei Season 2.{{Cite web |date=27 December 2024 |title=ヒトリエ10周年アルバム「Friend Chord」意味深な英文つづられたジャケット公開 |trans-title=Hitorie's 10th anniversary album "Friend Chord" jacket with meaningful English text released |url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/605857 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Natalie |language=ja}}
Production and release
On November 8, Hitorie released the digital single Juggernaut (ジャガーノート). Shinoda wrote the lyrics and music, and describes the title and song as "the feeling you get when playing an electric guitar." He also drew the single's cover art.{{Cite web |date=28 October 2023 |title=ヒトリエ新曲はエレキギターの“ぶっ飛んだ感覚”を表現した「ジャガーノート」（コメントあり） |trans-title=Hitorie's new song is "Juggernaut," which expresses the "outrageous feeling" of a electric guitar. |url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/546976 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Natalie |language=ja}}
On April 15, they released the digital single on the front line which was released as the opening to the second part of the second season of the anime adaptation of Mushoku Tensei. The song was composed by Yumao and Shinoda wrote the lyrics. The song peaked at 28th on the Oricon charts.{{Cite web |date=5 June 2024 |title=ヒトリエのニューシングルはメンバー全員作曲の4曲収録、メジャーデビュー10周年の攻撃開始 - 音楽ナタリー 特集・インタビュー |trans-title=Hitorie's new single includes 4 songs composed by all members, starting attack on 10th anniversary of major debut |url=https://natalie.mu/music/pp/hitorie07 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Natalie |language=ja}}{{Cite web |title=オン・ザ・フロントライン/センスレス・ワンダー[ReREC](初回生産限定盤) {{!}} ヒトリエ |trans-title=on the front line/Senseless Wonder [ReREC] (First Press Limited Edition) |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/602852/products/1507349/1/ |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=ORICON NEWS |language=ja}}
The album also features a new version of NOTOK, sung by current vocalist Shinoda.{{Cite web |last=Department |first=Skream! Editorial |title=ヒトリエ、ニュー・アルバム『Friend Chord』収録曲情報発表。来年全国ツアー開催決定。シノダ（Vo/Gt）による47都道府県弾き語りツアー追加公演も |trans-title=Hitorie announces song information for new album "Friend Chord". A national tour will be held next year. Additional performances by Shinoda (Vo/Gt) on 47 prefecture singing tour |url=https://skream.jp/news/2024/11/hitorie_friend_chord_tracklist.php |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Skream! 邦楽ロック・洋楽ロック ポータルサイト}} The cover art was designed by Yuta Ichinose, who previously designed the album covers for on the front line/SENSE-LESS WONDER [ReREC] and Imaginary Mono-Fiction.{{Cite web |date=2014-01-30 |title=ヒトリエ、1stミニアルバム『イマジナリー・モノフィクション』に関する3つの秘密を公開 |trans-title=Hiotrie reveals three secrets about their 1st mini album “Imaginary Monofiction” |url=https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000099407 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=BARKS |language=ja}} The DVD version of the album features a recording of their September 2024 concert "HITORI-ESCAPE 2024 10-NEN-SAI ～日比谷超絶野音～ (Hibiya's Transcendent Wild Sounds)" at Tokyo's Hibiya Park Concert Hall. It was their biggest concert so far, and was completely sold out.{{Cite web |date=18 September 2024 |title=【ライブレポート】「ヒトリエは野音に立てるバンドだ」満員の観客が証明、メジャーデビュー10周年で彼らが見た景色（写真17枚） |trans-title=“Hitorie is a band that stands out for the sounds of the world.” The packed audience proves this, and the view they saw on their 10th anniversary since their major debut. |url=https://natalie.mu/music/news/591537 |access-date=2025-01-21 |website=Natalie |language=ja}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| total_length = 37:45
| all_lyrics = Shinoda
| title1 = Tanbika (耽美歌, 'Aesthetics')
| length1 = 4:07
| music1 = Shinoda
| title2 = Juggernaut (ジャガーノート)
| length2 = 3:14
| music2 = Shinoda
| title3 = Quadrilateral Vase
| length3 = 3:26
| music3 = ygarshy
| title4 = Never Understand (ネバーアンダースタンド)
| length4 = 3:49
| music4 = Shinoda
| title5 = Tsuki o Mirutabi Omoibito (月をみるたび想い人, 'Whenever I see the moon, I think of you')
| length5 = 3:14
| music5 = Shinoda
| title6 = Shadowpray
| length6 = 3:39
| music6 = Yumao
| title7 = Notok
| note7 = album version
| length7 = 2:55
| music7 = wowaka
| title8 = On the Front Line (オン・ザ・フロントライン)
| length8 = 3:32
| music8 = Yumao
| title9 = Oyasuminasai (おやすみなさい, 'Good night')
| length9 = 6:19
| music9 = Shinoda
| title10 = Blue Spring Punk (ブルースプリングパンク)
| length10 = 3:31
| music10 = Shinoda
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = DVD: HITORI-ESCAPE 2024 10-NEN-SAI〜日比谷超絶野音〜 (Hibiya's Transcendent Wild Sounds)
| title1 = SisterJudy
| title2 = Montage Girl (モンタージュガール)
| title3 = Talking Dance (トーキーダンス)
| title4 = curved edge
| title5 = 3-min 29-sec (3分29秒, 3-bun 29-byou)
| title6 = Kazehana (風、花, 'Wind, Flower')
| title7 = on the front line (オン・ザ・フロントライン)
| title8 = SLEEPWALK
| title9 = Selfy charm
| title10 = Monocolor (モノカラー)
| title11 = Tenohira (テノヒラ, 'Palm')
| title12 = One-me Two-hearts (ワンミーツハー)
| title13 = Odorumannequin, Utauahou (踊るマネキン、唄う阿呆, 'Dancing mannequin, singing fool')
| title14 = Juggernaut (ジャガーノート)
| title15 = Unknown Mother-Goose (アンノウン・マザーグース)
| title16 = Kara no Waremono (カラノワレモノ)
| title17 = Image (イメージ)
| title18 = Stereo Juvenile (ステレオジュブナイル)
| title19 = SENSE-LESS WONDER (センスレス・ワンダー)
| title20 = NOTOK
| title21 = high gain (ハイゲイン)
}}
Personnel
Obtained from YouTube's auto-generated music credits.{{Cite web |title=Friend Chord |url=https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k5wx_1a8o0x1pOYlIr7KT5y-lCw3QFqtE |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=YouTube |language=en}}
Hitorie
- All members – arrangement
- wowaka – composition (#7), lyrics (#7)
- Shinoda (シノダ) – electric guitar, vocals, lyrics (#1-6, #8-10), composition (#1-2, #4-5, #9-10)
- ygarshy (イガラシ) – bass guitar, composition (#3)
- Yumao (ゆまーお) – drums, composition (#6, #8), lyrics (#6)
Personnel
- Shinjiro "Megane" Hirai (平井信二郎) – mixing engineer
- Yuta Ichinose (一ノ瀬雄太) – cover art
- Tsubasa Yamazaki – mastering engineer
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ Chart performance for Friend Chord ! scope="col"| Chart (2025) ! scope="col"| Peak !Sales |
| {{album chart|Oricon|19|date=2025-02-03/p/2|rowheader=true|access-date=January 29, 2025}}
| rowspan="3" | |
| scope="row"| Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon){{cite web |title=Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2025-02-03 |url=https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/coa/w/2025-02-03/p/5/ |publisher=Oricon |access-date=January 30, 2025 |language=ja |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130035939/https://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/coa/w/2025-02-03/p/5/ |archive-date=January 30, 2025}}
| 44 |
|---|
| scope="row"| Japanese Top Albums Sales (Billboard Japan){{cite web|url=https://billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=top_albums&year=2025&month=02&day=03|title=Billboard Japan Top Albums Sales – Week of January 29, 2025|website=Billboard Japan|language=ja|access-date=January 30, 2025}}
| 19 |