Nicotine

Originally starting out as a self-described "indie/alternative" act in 1994, Nicotine were first introduced to punk and ska upon their first American tour during the summer of that year. Immediately after returning to their native Tokyo, Howie Sato (vocals/guitar), Yasu (guitar), Full (bass) and Naoki (drum) drastically altered their sound to something that was a lot more aggressive and fast paced, while at the same time melodic and catchy. Eventually, this "new sound" resulted in their first mini-album Royal Mellow Day, which was released on their own Sky Records in 1996. Fol...