About THE MOTEL
THE MOTEL are a five-piece alternative band based in Japan, formed around childhood friends and guitarists NAOTO and RYO. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist MOY later joined and helped shape the band’s sound and creative direction. Drummer R1N joined in 2026, followed by bassist Leo, completing the current line-up.
The band describe British rock as the foundation of their sound, which also draws from alternative rock, metal, post-hardcore, shoegaze, and electronica. Their recorded debut came in October 2025 with the two-track release ‘MOTEL’, followed by a series of singles across 2026.
THE MOTEL drew widespread attention in September 2026 when a studio clip of ‘NO’ went viral on X. The single reached No. 1 on Japan’s iTunes Alternative chart and No. 13 on the country’s all-genre iTunes songs chart, and the surge of interest carried several earlier tracks into Apple’s Japan Alternative rankings. The viral response also prompted public debate over whether generative AI had been used in the band’s recordings. As of September 25th 2026, THE MOTEL had not publicly explained their production process.
