R&B-infused funk-rock five piece Kroi releases digital single Water Carrier on March 20. The song serves as the main theme for the anime adaptation of SAND LAND, originally written by the late manga legend Akira Toriyama. Fans of both Kroi and Toriyama can expect to hear the song kick off each episode as streaming begins in April on Disney+ and Hulu.

SAND LAND follows the journey of mismatched renegades Beelzebub, Rao, and Thief, as they scheme to restore water to a dystopian desert that’s been robbed of its natural resources by a greedy king. Despite only a brief serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump back in 2000, the tale remains a hallmark of Toriyama’s brand of art style and brilliant storytelling.

Written specifically for SAND LAND, Water Carrier’s snappy drums and brisk, jazzy guitar work evoke the feeling of adventuring through an arid backdrop. Vocalist Leo Uchida’s dead-on rhymes and raspy chorus weave through the beats, as if racing through dunes thirsting for order. The lyrics, which paint vagabonds who tire of leaving things to chance and declare to forge their own destiny, are an ingenious calling to resist the Mad Max-like tyranny.

Since the 2018 debut single Suck a Lemmon, Kroi has already been heralded as the next generation of talent and charisma by seasoned Jpop artists such as Spitz, Porno Graffitti, and OKAMOTO’s. The band has sold out its first Nippon Budokan show in January and made a name for itself at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas on March 15.

Make sure to check out Kroi on SAND LAND next month, and stay tuned for more coverage of Kroi on JROCK NEWS!