An Even Newer Idol Society: BiS Announce Return, New Album in the Works

7/7/2016

I can hardly believe the news myself, but this is happening; rebel idol unit BiS have announced their official return! Fronted once again by founder Pour Lui, the original Brand-new idol Society is auditioning new members as we speak, and have confirmed their debut album "Brand-new idol Society 2" will be out on Tsubasa Records on November 16th! That's a particularly significant date for yours truly, as it happens to be my birthday.

BiS disbanded in 2014, with the final lineup of Pour Lui, Hirano Nozomi, Tentenko, First Summer Uika, Kamiya Saki, and Megumi Koshouji. As all of them are currently involved in music projects to varying degrees of success (my favorite being Uika and Nozomi's BILLIE IDLE) it makes sense that Pour Lui is the only member available for a reunion. Of course, it's possible Lui just wanted a fresh start, too! BiS marked their original dissolution with the single aptly-titled "Final Dance" (below).

Along with this already incredible news, BiS have released their first post-breakup single, titled "BiSBiS". It's currently just Pour Lui's solo vocals, as no other members have been confirmed, but Kenta Matsukuma's writing and production skills are undeniable here. Unfortunately the video is unavailable outside Japan, but there are ways of hearing it in the US. Take a look around! For those of you able to see if, the video is embedded below.

Now for questions (and speculation!). If BiS haven't even solidified a lineup yet, how is it that they have a release date for the album? Are Watanabe, Matsukuma & co really that optimistic? Or is there something brewing behind-the-scenes? My personal crazy fan theory is that Hug Me (who recently left BiSH due to family issues) was secretly recruited to be a founding member of the new BiS. This is wild speculation and should not be believed, but it would be pretty cool, right? Right??? Another possibility is that this was all planned from the start, as the "Final Dance" MV ends with the line "to be continued". Thoughts? Also, the age cutoff for new members is 28, which is notably higher than a lot of similar groups. This also comes around the time when BiS founding member Mitchel has been rumored to be making a comeback. I'll let you piece that particular crazy fan theory together yourself.

As news comes out, we'll be here to keep you updated! Until then, enjoy this series of photos of BiS through the years.

-Justin