INDEX
Underlying Sadness in Before You Leave EP
In the midst of such changes, I’d like to ask about the music as well. For example, the song “in the cape,” which was the first track created for this work, begins with the lyrics: “On Route 134, a crushed soda can sways in the salty breeze, clattering.” Route 134 is a national road in the Shonan area, right? It’s written in a very realistic way, so what kind of scenery does this song evoke for you?
Ataku： Since moving to Tokyo, the sea I visit most often is along the Enoden line, around Hase and Yuigahama and places like that. Route 134 runs through that area, and I love the scenery there. I’m originally from Akita, but my family home was near the sea, so I’ve always loved the ocean. “in the cape” is a song I created with a laid-back mindset, so the guitar riff and melody repeat quite simply, while incorporating things I love—like the sea and different landscapes. It has a straightforward, “pale blue scenery” kind of feel. Lately, well… I’ve been feeling lonely. Always lonely. So, I wanted to write about that sense of loneliness.
The feeling of “loneliness” seems to permeate the entire before you leave EP. What do you think is the source of that loneliness?
Ataku： I actually figured that out recently. I think this band activity was my first real youth. Before that, I don’t think I truly experienced youth. I wasn’t excited, and it was all quite half-hearted. I started this band in my mid-20s, thinking I might be able to break through that barrier. It was probably the start of my youth, but after about five years, I started to feel like that phase had “officially ended.” The process of struggling to create songs, throwing them to the band, and building them through battles; finding the perfect note for each word we wrote—there was a fire in that, but I think it has flattened out now. On a larger scale, it feels like the end of Chapter 1. I think the loneliness comes after that fire.
-I see.
Ataku： But having that loneliness means, on the flip side, that something has taken root. It means it has become a part of my life. It’s that comfort and calm, but also the sadness of knowing, “the excitement and sparkle from those times have been lost.” And when I think about what to value next, songs about those important things come to mind… In general, that’s the feeling behind this EP.
