Deep Sea Diving Club -- Shooting Star

 

I was flabbergasted when I caught this video put up by MeTV about a decade or so ago. This scene from the popular NBC cop show "CHiPs" which ran from 1977 to 1983 not only has roller disco, which was a thing back in my adolescence, but it also contains the greatest concentration of TV stars that I've ever seen outside of the annual autumn promotion commercial for the network. Of course, I was a tad too young to partake in roller disco, but then again, I never learned how to ice skate when I was smaller so roller skating was pretty out of the cards for me as well.

Has roller disco returned somewhere on the planet? Maybe. I could see a resurgence in Japan for some months. Maybe even in America. Regardless, it's back in this music video for Deep Sea Diving Club's 10th and most recent digital single "Shooting Star" from September 2024. I wrote about these guys a couple of months ago for their Neo-City Pop "City Flight" from 2022 and I've been keeping an eye on them ever since.

"Shooting Star" continues the groovy urban contemporary and it shows what is basically a colourful PSA for women in the workplace to not only work hard but also play hard. One young executive decides to trip the light fantastic in her roller skates to let off some steam and enjoy her evening in the grand futuristic metropolis. Not surprisingly, the music by drummer Showhey Idehara（出原昌平）incorporates some disco into the proceedings. Guitarist and vocalist Sota Tani（谷颯太）provided the lyrics.

Deep Sea Diving Club -- City Flight

 

At first glance, the band Deep Sea Diving Club had me thinking that the lunkheads from "Grand Blue" decided to form their own group instead of scheming against each other and drinking themselves blind.

But of course, such was not the case here. In fact, Deep Sea Diving Club has its four members hailing not from the Izu Peninsula but all the way west in Fukuoka. Guitarist and vocalist Sota Tani（谷颯太）, guitarist Takahiro Oi（大井隆寛）, bassist Satoshi Torikai（鳥飼悟志）and drummer Showhey Idehara（出原昌平）were once known as Sandal until they picked up their current band name from a sticker found at the Sun Selco Mall in Fukuoka City. On their J-Wiki file, I saw the phrase "TENJIN NEO CITY POP" but they have pointed out that they also like rock, R&B and jazz and other genres to the extent that they would like to be considered genreless. 

Debuting in 2019 with a single, they've released several digital singles since then and in March 2022, Deep Sea Diving Club put out their first album "Let's Go! DSDC!". From there, I offer you the second track, "City Flight". I get some groovy Suchmos vibes from this one along with some of those early 80s City Pop feelings and even a hint of some ancient disco riff. Written by Tani and composed by Oi, we also get some laidback rap from Tani with the entire song exhorting the joy of having fun in the big city.