8.3

The Japanese band Number Girl gained a cult following in the '90s for their unhinged, melodic guitar rock, which took cues from Western groups like Hüsker Dü, the Pixies, and the Stooges, among others. Their albums for EMI Music Japan, recently reissued on vinyl, captured the pre-millennial tension of the times, balancing anxiety for tomorrow with a sweet nostalgia for the past.