Enfants: A Japanese Indie Band with a French Name

Description

Don’t let the name fool you — Enfants aren’t French. Plus, there’s nothing childish about the band, who also go by the longer moniker Les Enfants Dans La Lune. The Japanese alt-rock group formed in 2023 from the ashes of the established act Lamp in Terrne, which released five albums before mysteriously splitting — the three members who regrouped as Enfants even kept their identity at first. That soft launch stage probably came to end when they appeared at Tokyo’s massive Summer Sonic festival in 2024. A year later they headed to Austin, USA, for the iconic South by Southwest.

Now after a string of three EPs, earlier in 2026 the quartet dropped debut long-player Bedford Hedgehog, a satisfying set that balances post-punk-ish edge and raw urgency with a melodic sensibility that should satisfy the hard rocker and curious popper alike. Frontman Dai Matsumoto’s lyrics apparently “resist a society that denies emotion” to offer an “anthem for those struggling to live and a quiet revolution for the youth.” Which translates as upbeat, 90-inspired rock you can sing or shout along to — the choice is yours.