SIRUP links with UK band hard life on breakup track ‘RENDEZVOUS’

Japanese R&B artist SIRUP has released his first track of 2025, ‘RENDEZVOUS’, featuring UK alt-indie pop band hard life. Out today, Wednesday May 7th, the collaboration is a transcontinental link-up initiated by hard life frontman Murray Matravers and arrives ahead of both artists’ respective projects this year.

Previously known as easy life, Leicester’s hard life built their reputation with a no.2-charting debut album in the UK and a Best New Act win at the 2020 NME Awards. Their name change follows recent industry disputes, but musically, their output continues to pivot around wry lyricism and left-field pop structures—traits also shared by SIRUP, who has steadily expanded his reach internationally through collaborations with artists like Zion.T from South Korea, Australia’s CODY JON, and HYBS from Thailand.

Upon the single’s release, SIRUP posted on social media:

“RENDEZVOUS is finally out! This song was created together with hard life and Taka Perry as something to blow away the pain of a breakup. I hope that everyone who listens to this track will have any emotional baggage blown far away into somewhere in space❤️ Can’t wait for you all to see the music video too!”

Australian producer Taka Perry, known for his work on KATSEYE’s viral hit ‘Touch’, produced ‘RENDEZVOUS’, described as a dream breakup track. Mellow and restrained in its delivery, the song fuses melancholic textures with subtly cynical lyrics, creating an emotionally tempered exchange between SIRUP and hard life. Perry also produced every track on hard life’s upcoming album ‘onion’, out in July. The upcoming album took shape during Murray Matravers’ extended stay in Tokyo, where he reconnected with music at a local studio—also named Onion—after stepping away from band life.

Matravers also appears in the music video for [Alexandros]’s recent track ‘Coffee Float’, which comes from the band’s latest album ‘PROVOKE’, released on 23rd April.

Looking ahead, SIRUP will hit the road on the NEXT LIFE TOUR 2025, his first national tour in two years. Starting June 1st in Nagoya, the eight-date run will include stops in Yokohama, Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Osaka, and Tokyo.

About SIRUP

SIRUP is a Japanese singer-songwriter whose music moves fluidly between neo-soul, R&B, gospel, and hip-hop. Known for his seamless transitions between singing and rapping, SIRUP combines a refined sense of groove with emotionally grounded lyricism. Since debuting in 2017 with ‘Synapse’, produced by Tokyo Recordings (now TOKA), he has steadily built a reputation through releases like ‘Do Well’ and ‘LOOP’, and two full-length albums: ‘FEEL GOOD’ (2019) and ‘cure’ (2021).

He has performed on major stages including the Green Stage at Fuji Rock Festival 2021, Japan’s leading hip-hop event POP YOURS, and held his first solo headline show at Nippon Budokan in 2022. Alongside collaborations with artists from South Korea, Australia, Taiwan, and the UK, SIRUP has also been active in brand partnerships with names such as Jameson, Bose, and MINI. Widely regarded as a leading figure in Japan’s modern R&B scene, he continues to broaden his creative output both at home and internationally.

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