INDEX
A Message for Those Who Overthink the Small Details
When I listened to the before you leave EP, I felt a sense of loss over something that had been lost, but also a lingering feeling that “it was there.” The empty space may eventually be filled, but for now, I’m staring at that space, and there’s a certain fondness for it. It encapsulates a fleeting, intense moment.
Ataku： “Which part are you focusing on?” It’s so real, isn’t it? But I really think that’s how it feels. That “lost thing” isn’t about a specific person or a dramatic event. It’s more about the youth I experienced at the beginning of the band. Back then, my emotions would fluctuate a lot. I’d cry easily, and I’d often run off to the mountains [laughs], but now, I think I’ve become more stable.
Are you catching up with yourself now?
Ataku： This year, I’m 33. When I started daisansei in my mid-20s, I didn’t really feel the changes around me—whether it was aging, appearances, or people disappearing. Even in terms of relationships, I think I felt like I was still in the same space as when I was in middle school. But as I’ve aged, I’ve started noticing things like, “Have my parents really aged this much?” More and more children are being born around me, and I realized, “My niece is already in elementary school,” or “The cousin I thought was still in high school is now a working adult.” These realizations coincided with the end of the first chapter of the band. Maybe I was walking through an incomprehensible tunnel for a long time. And when I decided to come out, I found that the world had changed completely.
You mentioned earlier, “Which part are you focusing on?” But that means you’re someone who captures those moments and emotions of life, isn’t it, Ataku?
Ataku： Well… it can’t be helped, can it?
-[laughs].
Ataku： Some people are clear and decisive in their reactions—feeling down when something bad happens, getting energized by eating something delicious, enjoying movies with friends, crying at weddings, and so on. But there are also people who overthink things. People who, for no apparent reason, suddenly feel sad, start worrying about something, and fall into a strange zone. I think I’m one of those people. It’s like, “I don’t know why,” you know? It’s embarrassing. As you get older, you’re supposed to stop thinking about these things or learn not to care, but not being able to leave that behind… it’s really hard, you know? What should I do?
But by thinking and feeling this way and turning those experiences into work, isn’t there something that comes back to you, Ataku?
Ataku： When it comes to creating work, I have to be aware of “what will I think next?” I need to be able to sense that. It helps me confront the idea that “these feelings were real,” and then think, “What will I feel next?” I think that’s an important part of the process.
I want to create things that have an end. Maybe I don’t want things to just drift along. I want to feel like I’ve done as much as I can with a certain theme and then move on… It has to feel like a clear staircase, not just an endless hallway, which would be exhausting.
