HANABIE. are kicking off their 2026 in iconic fashion. A few weeks ahead of the Harajuku-core crew’s new EP, Hot Topic, the band have unleashed another highly-stylized, cross-genre freakout, this one arriving under the telling title of “ICONIC.”
The track arrives in a music vid that first finds the members of HANABIE. working in a retro-futuristic call center where low-end heavy house music and retro-gaming sounds are apparently blasting through the speakers all day.
From there, the group launch into a mix of nu-metal twitchy beats, deathcore stomp-outs and pop-forward chorus hooks, all whilst vocalist Yukina growls about both living up to and defying society’s expectations (“No more being a good girl”), and the need to let out a metal-as-hell “bleghh” every once in a while.
HANABIE.’s Hot Topic EP is out January 28th. The 5-song release also features last year’s “Spicy Queen” single — which we’d previously praised for its “piquant, punishing and percussive nature” — and 2024’s “GIRL’s TALK”.
HANABIE. are also touring North America in March with Nekrogoblikon. You’ll find the dates down below.
Hot Topic tracklisting:
ICONIC
Spicy Queen
トキメキAbout you
GIRL’S TALK
はなびえんちゃん。のテーマ
HANABIE., Nekrogoblikon 2026 tour dates:
3/13 Boston, MA – Big Night Live
3/14 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Bowl
3/15 Silver Spring, MD – The Fillmore Silver Spring
3/17 Montreal, QC – Théâtre Beanfield
3/18 Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
3/20 Pittsburgh, PA – Roxian Theatre
3/21 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
3/23 Raleigh, NC – The Ritz
3/24 Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre
3/25 Orlando, FL – House of Blues Orlando ^
3/27 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues Cleveland
3/29 Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
3/30 Chicago, IL – House of Blues Chicago
4/1 Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Minneapolis
4/3 Dallas, TX – House of Blues Dallas
4/4 Houston, TX – House of Blues Houston
4/6 Austin, TX – Emo’s Austin
4/7 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
4/9 San Diego, CA – House of Blues San Diego
4/10 San Francisco, CA – August Hall
4/11 Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco
^ no Nekrogoblikon