Formed in Tokyo in 1989 by singer/guitarist Sakamoto Shintaro and bassist Kamekaya Chiyo, with drummer Shibata Ichiro completing a stable lineup in 1997, the band was a fixture on Japan's psychedelic underground scene for nearly a decade before 1998's 333 became an unexpected mainstream pop success. Signed to Sony and regularly selling out major venues in their native country, Yura Yura Teikoku signed to the tiny indie Mesh Key Records for their U.S. releases, which began with 2005's Sweet Spot. The group's final album was 2007's Hollow Me, which was issued in the States in 2009 along with the single Beautiful as Hollow Me/Beautiful by DFA Records, which also issued the Deknai/Sweet Surrender single that year. After Yura Yura Teikoku disbanded in 2010, Sakamoto embarked on a solo career, releasing his debut album, How to Live with a Phantom, in 2012. ~ Heather Phares & Charity Stafford