INDEX
Fuji Rock and Baths: No Hierarchy in What Matters
“From those feelings, there’s a strong desire to cherish this moment, and I think that’s why we were able to create a sound that captures the essence of the moment.”Now, we’ve kept you waiting—how about you, Take? You’re involved in seven bands, so I’d love to hear what you feel about Hedigan’s.
Ouchi (Dr.): Not just with Hedigan’s, but especially in rock bands, you get to understand your music through the sound you play and the live experience. This year, making Chance while doing a lot of live shows really raised the resolution of this band for me. Of course, I thought the band was already in a great state when we were making 2000JPY, but… how should I put it… 2000JPY felt like “soup without ingredients.” It was like everyone poured their individual ideas into one music, and it turned into a smooth, refreshing drink.
YONCE: Like a soup stock.
Ouchi： That’s right. In contrast, Chance feels like it has ingredients. It’s like, “Oh, there’s Mocchan’s (Motomura) organs in this,” or “I can feel Shoji’s arms in it” (laughs). It feels like a human body. I think that’s because we went through the live experiences together. There’s a nuance in the music that wouldn’t have emerged if we hadn’t played our own songs in front of an audience. And I think that’s an essential part of being in a rock band. So the first thing I feel is, “Thank you for letting us play so much.” In Chance, we made so many wonderful songs, and I think it turned into ten tracks that, without aiming for anything specific, were made simply by creating music innocently.
What I also think is that the important things have increased, and there’s no level of difference between them. For example, the time we spent performing at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL might be the greatest joy for others, but I also remember the time we chatted briefly at a service area on our way to STUDIO DIG, or the air of that moment, or the time after we struggled with the mixes and then all took a bath together, falling asleep like we were dead. There’s no sense of which one is more important. I even remember days that seem like they don’t matter much. It’s not that “this day was good because of this,” but rather, I feel like all of those moments, combined in order, are what made this album possible.
This album captures the good vibes and good moments, and it’s not about thinking “this is a good day because of this.” It’s simply about being aware of what we feel in our hearts.
Ouchi： This ties into how I feel about the band, but when I think about what “everything is important” means, I believe it’s about wanting to truly believe that “the time we’re spending right now is incredibly meaningful.” I think that’s the wish I’ve put into Hedigan’s. This is true for all bands, but especially for Hedigan’s. It’s like we’ve reaffirmed our shared understanding of wanting to create the “ideal life” together as this group of five.
Another big change is that through performing live, I’ve come to realize that the people we call “audience” are “human beings.” It’s like there are creatures like me right in front of me, and there are so many souls we can share. Our tagline is “soul-friendly-music,” but the experience of feeling the souls of our listeners has accumulated, and I think this will raise the level of our dedication to live performances even more.
