Envy

Envy is an American hardcore band that originates from the United States and develops out of the earlier group Blind Justice. The band forms officially in 1995 and becomes associated with screamo, post-hardcore, hardcore and post-rock. Over time, its sound moves from a raw hardcore and screamo base toward wider, more atmospheric structures, while keeping a strong emphasis on contrast between loud and quiet passages.

Style and development

The group is known for using screamo’s dynamic shifts between crushing intensity and quieter passages, often within the same song. Its lyrics are described as deep and poetic. Tetsuya Fukagawa’s vocals are a defining element, combining harsh delivery with clean vocals and spoken word. As the years pass, his singing becomes more guttural, while the band’s arrangements increasingly incorporate post-rock influences alongside their hardcore roots.

Early releases such as Breathing and Dying in This Place... and From Here to Eternity reflect a harder, more direct screamo and hardcore approach. Later records show the shift more clearly, especially All the Footprints You’ve Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead, A Dead Sinking Story, and Insomniac Doze. The first signs of the more expansive direction appear on The Eyes of a Single Eared Prophet.

Releases and labels

Envy releases material through several labels across different territories. In Japan, the band works with its own label, Sonzai Records, which it founds itself. In North America, it releases through Temporary Residence Limited, while in Europe it uses Rock Action Records. Earlier and mid-career releases appear on the domestic hardcore punk label HG Fact. The band also issues work through Dim Mak and Level Plane.

Its discography includes the studio albums From Here to Eternity (1998), All the Footprints You’ve Ever Left and the Fear Expecting Ahead (2001), A Dead Sinking Story (2003), Insomniac Doze (2006), Recitation (2010), Atheist’s Cornea (2015), The Fallen Crimson (2020), and Eunoia (2024). It also releases a long series of EPs, split records, singles and compilations, including Abyssal, Alnair in August, Definition of Impossibility, and Seimei.

Line-up and collaborations

The core line-up includes Tetsuya Fukagawa on vocals and sequencer, Nobukata Kawai on guitar, and Manabu Nakagawa on bass. Fukagawa also serves as the band’s leader and handles practical tasks such as booking shows. The group’s personnel changes over time, with support guitarists Tsuyoshi Yoshitake, Yoshimitsu Taki and Tomotaka Tsuji, plus support drummer Hiroki Watanabe joining from 2018 onward. Earlier members include Daichi Takasugi, Yusuke Katoh, Masahiro Tobita and Dairoku Seki.

Envy develops close ties with Mogwai and Mono. Fukagawa appears on Mogwai’s Mr Beast on the track “I Chose Horses” and on Mono’s Rays of Darkness on “The Hand That Holds the Truth”, the group’s only vocal track to date. The band’s connection with post-rock becomes especially clear around Insomniac Doze, which is released in Japan by Sonzai Records, in Europe by Rock Action Records, and in North America by Temporary Residence Limited.

Live activity and later years

Envy performs at Fuji Rock Festival in 2006 and tours widely, including dates with Explosions in the Sky and Mono. Fukagawa announces his departure in 2016, but later rejoins the band on stage in 2018. The group then continues with a refreshed line-up and releases the comeback single “Alnair in August”, followed by The Fallen Crimson, the live album LAST WISH - Live at Liquidroom Tokyo, the EP Seimei, and Eunoia. A Europe tour follows in 2025.