FEMM Reveal New Music Video and Announce New EP

Recently, it was announced that the previously stiff "FEMM1.0" mannequin units had received a firmware update to "FEMM2.0", allowing them to achieve convincingly human-like levels of emotional expression. And then, on November 6th, the newly upgraded FEMM released a new double A-side single titled Level Up / Summer Dream in partnership with rising independent label tokyovitamin.

In addition, the music video for Level Up feat. Duke of Harajuku, which marks the beginning of "chapter 2" in FEMM’s story, was also released. The cyberpunk-influenced video shows FEMM undergoing the firmware update to version 2.0 in a world with polluted air, with overly vivid colours on the screen that are said to feed into a growing sense of anxiety. The video was directed by Yuki Tsujimoto, whose work is known for its eye-catching use of colour and edgy editing. The styling was handled by the members of FEMM themselves.

Additionally, on November 20th, Level Up feat. Duke of Harajuku will be included on a brand new six-song EP titled 404 Not Found. The members of FEMM chose the title to suggest “brand-new music that doesn’t exist (yet), no matter how hard you search for it”.

The EP is said to offer a variety of rap styles over fierce industrial tracks, pulling in elements of "dark pop", a style that combines musicality and message.

404 Not Found includes production by Star Boy, as well as female Japanese trackmakers ANJULIECAT a.k.a. YUA and Diana Chiaki, who were approached directly by the members of FEMM as they are fans of their work.

Other producers who contributed to the EP include Danny L Harle, a key member of London-based label PC Music; Japanese bass music scene players HABANERO POSSE; Japanese hip-hop linchpin KM; and Radical Hardcore Clique, pioneers of the "Japalanta" genre that blends traditional Japanese music and trap.

The cover art was designed by London-based illustrator Max Prentis. It depicts a lonely AI character that wanders the internet in the distant future, long after the extinction of humankind, and continues to attempt to access websites that will never be updated, displaying only the error message “404 Not Found”.

Watch the MV for Level Up feat. Duke of Harajuku: