Formed in 2001 and named after a colloquial Japanese term for "playful sex', Asobi Seksu is fronted by the bilingual Yuki Chikudate (b. Tokyo, Japan; keyboards/vocals). While Chikudate grew up in Los Angeles on a diet of female-fronted 80s pop, classical and jazz before moving to New York at the age of 16, co-founder James Hanna (b. Huntington, Long Island, New York, USA; guitar/vocals) spent his formative years listening to the hard rock of Poison and the pioneering alt rock of Sonic Youth. Consequently, Asobi Seksu's sound was defined by a key polarisation, sweet, high register vocals and dream-like synths married to intense, sweeping, distorted guitars. The rhythm section that appeared on 2004's self-titled debut comprised Keith Hopkin (b. USA; drums) and Glenn Waldman (b. New York, USA; bass). However, a particularly tempestuous first tour of the USA in early 2005 led to internal arguments and Hopkin and Waldman soon departed, the latter going on to play guitar for New York contemporaries Ford And Fitzroy. The band then recruited two of Hanna's old friends from high school, Haji (b. Dubai, United Arab Emirates; bass) and Mitch Spivak (b. USA, drums), prior to the recording of their Chris Zane-produced 2006 follow-up, Citrus. This second studio album was recorded at downtown New York's Gigantic Studios, a popular haunt for indie pop act the Mendoza Line and fellow local shoegazers Ambulance Ltd. Here they built on Asobi Seksu by accentuating their pop awareness, leaning particularly close to Las Vegas" phenomenally successful the Killers on anthemic tracks such as "Thursday" and "Goodbye".
2007 was an important year as it saw both Asobi Seksu and Citrus re-released worldwide on the influential London, England-based One Little Indian Records label. Although both releases failed to impress on a lyrical level, it was the sonic inventiveness of Asobi Seksu that garnered the interest of most critics. Ben Shapiro (b. 1984, Providence, Rhode Island, USA; drums) had replaced Spivak by the time of the band's first European and Asian tours that summer.
