Named for the time of the band's scheduled practice and pronounced the same as "one OK rock" in a Japanese accent, the group was established in 2005 by high schooler Toru (guitar), who teamed with bassist Ryota, vocalist Taka (formerly of the boy band NEWS), and another guitarist, the San Francisco-born Alex Onizawa, who had previously worked as a fashion model. After a string of successful shows around Tokyo, the band debuted with the EP One OK Rock in mid-2006, followed by another mini-album, Keep It Real, by the end of the same year. In 2006, One OK Rock finally found a permanent drummer in Tomoya, who played on their first single, "Naihi Shinsho," which made its way to national radio and secured the band a deal with major-label Amuse. A nationwide tour preceded the release of the band's debut studio album, Zeitakubyou, which was followed by two LPs, Beam of Light and Kanjou Effect, in 2008. The following year, Onizawa parted ways with the group, leaving Toru to handle all the guitar duties. One OK Rock released their fourth full-length album, Niche Syndrome, in 2010. They quickly returned with Zankyo Reference in 2011, and two years later delivered Jinsei × Boku on A-Sketch. One OK Rock then toured the U.S. as part of the Vans Warped Tour in 2014 before returning to play stadium shows in Japan and South America later in the year. The album 35xxxv arrived in early 2015 and was re-released in a deluxe English-language edition after the band signed with Warner Bros. in late 2015. They crossed over easily in the U.S. thanks in part to Taka's flawless English. In 2016, the band signed with Fueled by Ramen and set about recording their second international album. Titled Ambitions and released in January 2017, it was a slicker, even more commercial proposition that took on some of the label's trademark characteristics. ~ Alexey Eremenko