{{Short description|American music project}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Canary Complex | image = Canary Kasey performing in 2024.jpg | landscape = | caption = Canary Kasey performing in 2024 | origin = Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. | genre = {{hlist|Progressive rock|alternative rock|chamber pop|indie rock}} | years_active = 2021–present | current_members = Canary Kasey | website = {{URL|canarycomplex.com}} | module = {{Infobox | child = yes | title = '''Logo''' | headerstyle = background:#b0c4de | data2 = 200px }} }}
'''Canary Complex''' is an American visual kei music project founded by guitarist Canary Kasey in 2021. It is regarded as one of the most notable visual kei acts outside Japan and the most prominent representative of the scene in the United States.
== History == Canary Kasey, a member of Flood District, began a solo project under the name Canary Complex in 2021.<ref name="suc1">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-24 |title=Canary Complex resgata o espírito do visual kei dos anos 2000 no álbum A Whisper of Spring |url=https://sucodemanga.com.br/canary-complex-resgata-o-espirito-do-visual-kei-dos-anos-2000-no-album-a-whisper-of-spring/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=Suco de Mangá |language=pt-BR}}</ref> The project's name is a reference to the historical use of canaries to detect gas in coal mines.<ref name="visunavi1" /> On August 28, 2021, Canary Complex released its debut album, titled ''When I Say Rain...'' According to Kasey, the album was recorded entirely in his bedroom.<ref name="sono" />
The project's second album, ''The Tragic Dance of Dying Leaves'', was released on March 31, 2023. It was mixed by Michael Rumple, who also played drums on several of the songs featured on the album.<ref name="sono" /> Canary Complex's third album, ''A Whisper of Spring'', was released on April 24, 2025. It was preceded by three singles: "Déshabillez-Moi", "Corsets Fall", and "Papillon ~Snow Angel~".<ref name="club">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-17 |title=アメリカ発V系アーティストCanary Complexが、日本のヴィジュアル系にインスピレーションを受けたアルバム『A Whisper of Spring』を4月24日リリース！ 先行シングルをMVとともに本日公開 |url=https://www.club-zy.com/contents/925240 |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=club-zy.com |language=Japanese}}</ref> The album was co-produced by Michael Rumple.<ref name="sono" />
== Musical style == The project's music has been described as progressive rock,<ref name="lee">{{Cite web |last=Lee |first=Kate Clarice |date=2025-04-27 |title=Canary Complex' Album "A Whisper of Spring" Radiates Elegance |url=https://appppc.com/canary-complex-album-a-whisper-of-spring-radiates-elegance/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=appppc.com |language=en}}</ref> alternative rock,<ref name="publicpressure" /> chamber pop,<ref name="lee" /> and "progressive indie rock".<ref name="pop100" />
Naomi Joan of Illustrate Magazine described ''The Tragic Dance of Dying Leaves'' as "oil painting and pastel impressionism in musical reembodiment", and "post-punk, chamber pop, dream pop, and indie alternative rock infused together".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Joan |first=Naomi |date=2023-04-19 |title=The Tragic Dance of Dying Leaves by Canary Complex: Album Review |url=https://illustratemagazine.com/the-tragic-dance-of-dying-leaves-by-canary-complex-album-review/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=Illustrate Magazine}}</ref> The sound present on the project's third album, ''A Whisper of Spring'', was described as "blending 90s visual kei, French ''chanson'', and progressive rock", crafting a "romantic, imagined world set in Belle Époque Paris".<ref name="sono" /> It also incorporated bossa nova elements.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farias |first=Miki |date=2025-04-19 |title=Canary Complex lanza su nuevo álbum A Whisper of Spring |url=https://xiahpop.com/canary-complex-a-whisper-of-spring/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=XIAHPOP |language=es}}</ref>
== Influences and legacy == [[File:Canary Kasey with Kamijo.jpg|thumb|Kasey with Kamijo in 2025]] The music of Canary Complex was influenced by Japanese visual kei artists such as Luna Sea, Malice Mizer, Lareine, X Japan, Kuroyume, Buck-Tick, and Shazna.<ref name="club" /><ref name="suc1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-29 |title=Visual Kei Americano - Suco Entrevista Canary Complex - Parte 1 |url=https://sucodemanga.com.br/visual-kei-americano-suco-entrevista-canary-complex-parte-1/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=Suco de Mangá |language=pt-BR}}</ref> It also drew inspiration from Mylène Farmer,<ref name="visunavi2" /> bossa nova, gothic rock, French ''chanson'', baroque pop, and post-punk.<ref name="pop100">{{Cite web |date=2023-04-08 |title=Canary Complex, el proyecto en solitario de Kasey Jarrell |url=https://pop100.es/2023/04/08/canary-complex-el-proyecto-en-solitario-de-kasey-jarrell/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=pop100.es |language=es}}</ref><ref name="suco2">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-24 |title=Novo álbum de canary complex j-rock nostálgico com sons globais em produção inédita |url=https://sucodemanga.com.br/novo-album-de-canary-complex-j-rock-nostalgico-com-sons-globais-em-producao-inedita/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=Suco de Mangá |language=pt-BR}}</ref> As a teenager, Kasey listened to American heavy metal bands like Dokken, Skid Row, and Mötley Crüe. The first visual kei band he encountered was Kagrra,<ref name="visunavi1">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-27 |title=【CANARY COMPLEX（カナリー・コンプレックス）】スペシャル独占インタビュー！◆90年代ヴィジュアル系の美学を受け継ぐ、アメリカ産アーティスト、CANARY COMPLEXが4月24日にアルバム『A Whisper of Spring』で衝撃の日本デビュー！ |url=https://www.visunavi.com/2025-04-27/29856/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=VISUNAVI Japan |language=ja}}</ref>
Canary Complex gained a prominent international following,<ref name="suco2" /> particularly among Japanese and Chinese fans of visual kei.<ref name="publicpressure">{{Cite web |title=Visual kei lives on with a cult grip that never loosened |url=https://www.publicpressure.io/articles/visual-kei-lives-on-with-a-cult-grip-that-never-loosened |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=Public Pressure |language=en}}</ref><ref name="visunavi2">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-27 |title=【CANARY COMPLEX（カナリー・コンプレックス）】スペシャル独占インタビュー！◆90年代ヴィジュアル系の美学を受け継ぐ、アメリカ産アーティスト、CANARY COMPLEXが4月24日にアルバム『A Whisper of Spring』で衝撃の日本デビュー！ - Page 2 of 2 |url=https://www.visunavi.com/2025-04-27/29856/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=VISUNAVI Japan |language=ja}}</ref> The project was praised by visual kei fans globally for contributing to the scene's presence outside its country of origin.<ref name="publicpressure" /><ref name="sono" /> It has been referred to as "one of the first authentic Western takes on visual kei".<ref name="sono">{{Cite web |date=2025-04-24 |title=Canary Complex on 'A Whisper of Spring': A Conversation About Sound, Sorrow, and Self-Reinvention |url=https://sonomusic.co/canary-complex-on-a-whisper-of-spring-a-conversation-about-sound-sorrow-and-self-reinvention/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=SONO Music Group}}</ref> Kasey has been described as the first musician to "capture [visual kei's] spirit beyond Japan".<ref name="publicpressure" /> The project was complimented by Kamijo.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-01 |title=An interview with Canary Complex [Part Two] |url=https://vk.gy/blog/an-interview-with-canary-complex-part-two/ |access-date=2025-07-22 |website=vk.gy (ブイケージ)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2026-02-19 |title=世界30の国と地域から157組を網羅！『世界ヴィジュアル系ガイドブック』3月10日発売 |url=https://www.visunavi.com/2026-02-19/44759/ |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=VISUNAVI Japan |language=ja}}</ref> In 2026, Canary Complex was featured in ''The World Visual Kei Guidebook'', a book showcasing visual kei artists from outside Japan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=【速報】突然ですが『世界ヴィジュアル系ガイドブック』を出版します！ |url=https://publibjp.com/20260210 |access-date=2026-02-19 |website=パブリブ Publib LLC |language=ja}}</ref>
As a guitarist, Kasey has drawn comparisons to Mana of Malice Mizer and Moi dix Mois, and Hisashi Imai of Buck-Tick.<ref name="sono" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-17 |title=【Canary Complex（カナリー・コンプレックス）】アメリカ発のヴィジュアル系アーティスト・Canary Complexが3rdアルバム『A Whisper of Spring』を4月24日（木）に配信リリース！ |url=https://www.visunavi.com/2025-04-17/29552/ |access-date=2025-07-21 |website=VISUNAVI Japan |language=ja}}</ref>
== Discography == ; Full-length albums * ''When I Say Rain...'' (2021) * ''The Tragic Dance of Dying Leaves'' (2023) * ''A Whisper of Spring'' (2025)
; Singles * "Lucky Charms" (2021) * "Cloudbusting" (2022) * "Déshabillez-Moi" (2025) * "Corsets Fall" (2025) * "Papillon ~Snow Angel~" (2025)
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * {{Official website|http://canarycomplex.com}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:American progressive rock groups Category:Chamber pop musicians Category:Indie rock musical groups from North Carolina Category:Musical groups established in 2021 Category:Musical groups from Raleigh, North Carolina Category:One-man bands Category:Visual kei musical groups Category:2021 establishments in North Carolina