With a proliferation of idol-pop groups in the music scene these days, getting a start in the industry isn¡¯t always easy ¡ª even for a band made up of former models.

¡°We started out in 2010 playing in front of five or six people, 10 if we were lucky,¡± says Sumire ¡°Suu¡± Yoshida, the lead singer of Silent Siren. ¡°We were terrible early on and it was disheartening. It was our hobby so we weren¡¯t going to quit, but something had to change.¡±

The group had formed a few months prior to its debut show following a conversation between Suu and drummer Hinako ¡°Hinanchu¡± Umemura about Japanese pop-punk band 10-Feet at a photo shoot for a fashion magazine.

¡°Once we discovered we had similar tastes, that was it,¡± Hinanchu says. ¡°We decided then and there to start our own group.¡±

According to bassist Aina ¡°Ainyan¡± Yamauchi, things started to improve when the quartet started writing its own music rather than attempting covers. Ayana Sogawa left the band in 2012 and was replaced with keyboard player Yukako ¡°Yukarun¡± Kurosaka.

¡°I knew the girls from modeling and was a fan of their music,¡± Yukarun says. ¡°However I was really nervous coming in as I¡¯d never been in a group before. Thankfully they all treated me like family.¡±

Shortly after Yukarun joined, Silent Siren¡¯s first mini-album ¡°SaiSai¡± was released. An energetic, inoffensive debut with high-pitched vocals and a bit of kick, it blended bubble-gum pop with a rock guitar sound. It¡¯s a style the group has adopted on subsequent records.

Silent Siren¡¯s latest effort, ¡°S,¡± came out last week. The group hasn¡¯t deviated much from its original sound, but the album sounds a bit more polished. Some of the tracks sneak in a little edge, such as ¡°Milk Boy,¡± and there are a few toe-tappers such as ¡°Hikari¡± (¡°Light¡°) and ¡°Hachigatsu no Yoru¡± (¡°An August Evening¡°) as well as ballads such as final track ¡°Secret Base ¡ª Kimi ga Kureta Mono¡± (¡°Secret Base ¡ª What You Gave Me¡°).

The catchiest track is arguably lead single ¡°Cherry Bomb.¡± It shares a title with the 1976 punk-esque rock single by The Runaways, but Silent Siren¡¯s version is much tamer.

¡°You¡¯ll see teenagers next to moms and dads at our gigs,¡± Hinanchu says. ¡°The music is quite varied and therefore appeals to people of all ages. Our shows are really energetic though, so fans tend to be exhausted when they leave.¡±

¡°S¡± is in stores now. Silent Siren begins a nationwide tour at Tokyo¡¯s Ex Theater Roppongi on April 18 and wraps up at Yokohama Arena on July 18. For more information, visit .