It’s been about six weeks since Zazen Boys’ bassist Hinata Hidekazu announced he was leaving the band, and already ringleader Mukai Shutoku (restless as he is) has brought in a new bassist, Yoshida Ichiro. Yoshida was originally in the (now defunct) band 12939db (he also played in Nine Days Wonder), which appeared to be from Tokyo, so rumors that Mukai was going to hire someone from his home base in Fukuoka apparently didn’t pan out.

I’ve been surprised at some of the negative reactions over Hinata’s leaving, but I don’t think it matters who plays the instruments in Zazen Boys. This band is Mukai’s baby, and he could have Radiohead as the backing band without the results being much different. That said, there’s no way to even speculate what Zazen Boys’ next album will sound like, but don’t look for this new guy to be changing things.