The latest EP before you leave from the trio daisansei is a true gem that captivates from start to finish. It’s so beautiful that you’ll want to share it with everyone, whether they’ve heard of the band or not. This collection of six pop songs is filled with raw, fleeting moments that evoke a profound sense of realism and warmth, yet shine with an unexpected brilliance as if discovering a miracle in a brief instant. Each track resonates with the lingering feeling of something lost or the looming sense of an impending loss. Through the passage of time, harsh yet redemptive, the characters in these songs gaze at the void within, remembering what once was and looking forward to what will come to fill it. This music may not cure your boredom or satisfy your hunger, but it will find its way into the weariness and emptiness you carry, offering a quiet companionship. Such moments can’t be replicated by instant gratification; they give you a lasting sense of fulfillment and the strength to keep going.
I had the chance to chat with Nobuaki Ataku (Vocals/Guitar), the composer behind this extraordinary work. While he’s known for crafting music of such beauty, he’s also an interesting character—a band member who once made it to the second round of the M-1 Grand Prix comedy competition. At home, he’s the kind of person who would be alone, solving complex original word puzzles—an eccentric and endearing soul. This interview made me grateful that there are people like him out there.
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Leaving Behind Writing That Lacks Personal Connection
-I felt that your new EP “before you leave” is like a series of short films, as if we can see a single landscape through the six songs on the EP. What was your own conception of the work?
Ataku： I’ve always longed for an album that feels like a complete album. These days, many albums are just collections of singles, which are more efficient, but when I was a kid listening to music, the excitement I felt was in albums. I knew I had to create something like that someday. That’s why I’m happy with the expression “like a collection of short stories.” Since the songs were all created over the past year, even though each song has its own theme, I think the EP has become a work that has interconnected elements throughout.
Which song was the first to be created for the EP?
Ataku： The first song I completed was the fifth track, “in the cape.” Personally, I really like the sixth track, “Kawatare” (meaning “Who Is This Person”). It allowed me to convey my true feelings, and the melody is great. I thought I would go with the mood of these two songs, but I also wondered if adding something more dazzling might act like the flash of a camera, helping everything else shine. So, I created the title track, “before you leave,” last. This song reflects my real thoughts at 33, including questions like “What would happen if my parents died?”
You mentioned the expression of a camera flash, so it seems like you have a visual image in your mind.
Ataku： It’s always been that way for me. I envision things visually and build them from there. When I write lyrics, I imagine the next scene in my mind and fit the words to it. The visuals always come first for me.
The band “daisansei” was formed in the summer of 2019 when vocalist Nobuaki Ataku began recruiting band members on an online forum, leading to his meeting with Sho Wakiya (Key). They continued with energetic digital releases and, later that year, were joined by Umi Fujikake (Vo/Ba), prompting the band name to be changed to “daisansei.” In November 2020, they released their full album Drama no Day, which garnered attention and was selected as a Tower Records recommendation. With the slogan “A modest, dramatic tribute to ordinary days,” they strive to create pop songs that help reclaim the small, fleeting moments of sparkle that can get lost in everyday life.
Both “Kawatare” and “Before You Leave” have been described as “real,” so did this project often involve blending Ataku’s real-life experiences with the imagery he envisioned?
Ataku： Yes, that’s right. Basically, I try not to write about things I don’t genuinely feel. I have challenged myself to write about emotions and thoughts completely different from my own in an attempt to appeal to a wider audience, but when I think about the fact that there might be someone out there who is deeply connecting with the feelings I wrote just to get sympathy, I realize that would be very disrespectful. For example, if there were lyrics like “Goodbye written on the mirror with lipstick”… whether such a thing exists or not, let’s say it does.
-yes.
Ataku： I couldn’t write that feeling in a real way, but I believe there are people who could write “Goodbye written on the mirror with lipstick” while truly feeling that way. Those people could probably resonate with others. With that in mind, I decided to stop writing about things that have no personal connection to me. In that sense, I’ve always tried to be real, but this time, I wrote about what I was thinking when I asked myself, “What am I thinking right now?” The third song, “Bukettosu,” is a bit of an exception, though.
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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.
