Of the bands playing at Japan Nite, the one that keeps me coming back is an all-girl rock trio from Tokushima, Japan called Chatmonchy. Turns out, I’m not the only one.

On March 7, Spin Magazine published their list of the “50 Must-Hear Bands at SXSW,” and Chatmonchy made the list. According to the brief write-up Spin gave them in the Top 50, “Their [Chatmonchy’s] sound has already swept their native land, and the band — making their U.S. debut at SXSW — is looking to repeat the success stateside.” Consider this a big step towards mission accomplished.

Chatmonchy also made it in to Spin’s free digital album “Spin’s Picks for SXSW 2010” with their song “Hira Hira Hiraku Himitsu No Tobira.” The album features 29 tracks from various SXSW artists with Chatmonchy  the only group representing Japan. Still, being placed on a SXSW compilation with the likes of Japandroids (honored in Spin’s “40 Best Albums of 2009” for Post-Nothing) is not too shabby.

For more on Chatmonchy, check out this semi-biographical interview with the band by Robert Michael Poole for The Japan Times.