INDEX
Life Stage as a University Student
Given everything we’ve discussed so far, how do you feel about releasing your first album as LAUSBUB?
Iwai: It feels like this album marks the beginning of our music journey. There’s a sense of finally joining the community, but it also serves as a moment to reconsider what comes next.
With “ROMP,” we focused solely on what we wanted to create, keeping external influences to a minimum and concentrating just on the music and ourselves. Moving forward, I hope to create music that opens up more, establishing a deeper connection with listeners.
Takahashi： Creating “ROMP” has definitely changed how I think about making music and what I want to achieve. I’ve considered new possibilities and what I can do differently. I believe these insights will be valuable moving forward, so I’m eager to start working on the next album.
At the beginning, Nishiyama mentioned that he didn’t think he could create a work like this when he was around the same age as the LAUSBUB duo. What were you thinking about when you were at that age?
Nishiyama: You two are around 21 years old now, right? That would be during your second or third year of university… Were we already working together at that time?
Shibata: I’m not sure. Maybe we were just starting out or not working together yet?
Nishiyama: This November marks the 10th anniversary of Pasocom Music Club, at least by our own count [laughs]. When we were 21, it’s unclear if we were officially using the name Pasocom Music Club, but I had already met Shibata and we were just starting to get things going. Looking at it from that perspective, LAUSBUB has definitely gotten ahead of us.
Shibata: [laughs]
Nishiyama: I didn’t have any vision of doing music for a lifetime or becoming a professional. It was more like, “As long as I enjoy it as a hobby, that’s fine.” Also, I spent most of my time just staying at home and sleeping.
Shibata: I couldn’t reach Nishiyama-kun for about five days, and when I finally did, he said, “What have you been up to?” and his reply was, “Sorry, I was just sleeping” [laughs].
Nishiyama: It wasn’t that my mental state was down or anything, but it was a time when that kind of lifestyle was possible. Just spending the whole day on the internet, for example.
Shibata: I was a carefree student.
A few years later, the first album from Pasocom Music Club is released.
Nishiyama: The first album was released in 2018, right?
Shibata: At first, I really wasn’t thinking about anything… I didn’t have any ambitions of making it big with music; it was just one of my hobbies. It was more like a recreational activity, like when Nishiyama and I would chat on Skype and say, “We’re bored, so why don’t we try practicing making videos today?
Nishiyama: We only had the primitive enjoyment of showing each other what we created. One commonality between us and LAUSBUB might be that we both started making music with friends. Forming a band with friends is something that happens often, after all.
Do you have any tips on how to continue your activities together?
Nishiyama: The other day, I asked the group_inou duo the same question (laughs). I think this is an undeniable fact: once you make a living from music, it inevitably becomes “work.” There comes a moment when, if you start dealing with administrative matters, like incorporating the business and having Shibata as the president and me as the vice president, you can no longer remain just friends. Everyone I’ve talked to, no matter who, has said the same thing.
Nishiyama: However, I still don’t want to give up on being friends in that process. I’m currently thinking about how to manage that balance effectively.
Shibata: It’s not that we have a bad relationship [laughs], but there is definitely pressure. Everyone experiences it, so I guess it’s just part of the process.
Nishiyama: The fact that we initially decided to “do everything ourselves in the indie scene” is also significant. We’re still friends, and it’s just something we talked about because it came up. It’s not really that heavy.
Iwai: At the moment, I still feel like it’s just a matter of “playing in a band with friends.” For me, I’ll manage to get by no matter what, but I do hope that Mei-chan can eventually make a living from it.
Everyone: [laughs]
Nishiyama: As we go through different stages in life and each person’s situation changes, even if I want to keep doing something extremely alternative, there’s still the need to make a living. It’s a different story from the early days when we were driven purely by initial enthusiasm. We’ll move beyond just doing what we love with friends and start having discussions as business partners.
Takahashi: The idea of not giving up on staying friends really resonates with me. As long as we’re working together, I think there are things we can do to ensure we can remain friends.
