Summer Whales, a two-piece band from Kyoto, draws influences from grunge and post-punk, channeling them into their own authentic expression. The band features Ao, a cool and strong-willed guitar vocalist and composer who sometimes handles mixing and mastering himself, and Ryo Kubo, a reserved guitarist known for his affinity for classic bikes, reportedly influenced by Kenichi Asai. The duo shares a deep passion for rock music, which has become a defining aspect of Summer Whales’ distinctive identity.
In July, they released their first EP, ‘Doughy’. The title, meaning ‘underdone’, reflects the raw and unique sensibility of the band, hinting at the limitless potential of their sound. To gain a deeper understanding of this intriguing duo, we conducted an interview.
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How Coldplay’s ‘Viva La Vida’ Shaped Summer Whales‘ Musical Journey
Summer Whales was formed in August 2022. Could you tell us how the band came together?
Aoi: We formed the band in the university’s light music club. That club was focused on cover bands, but we decided to try doing original songs as well. So, I started it with Daiki (Daiki Tsukuda), who was a former member and played bass.
What kind of artists did the club cover?
Aoi: We covered bands like Pale Waves and Fugazi.
At first, Ryo Kubo was involved as a support member of Summer Whales, right?
Aoi: That’s right. Ryo is a year below me in school. We hadn’t talked much before, but he was technically skilled, so I asked him to support us for about a year. After that, I asked him to officially join the band.

A band consisting of Ao (vocals/guitar) and Ryoga Kubo (guitar). With a sound reminiscent of ’90s alternative grunge rock and international indie music, combined with an ennui-filled, husky vocal style, they have captured attention at various radio stations and live houses from the very beginning. Their songs, which blend stylish, edgy rock with catchy pop arrangements, feature surprising developments and high-quality melodies that captivate listeners from the first listen. The seamless transition between English and Japanese lyrics, delivered with a pleasant pronunciation, is also one of their attractions.
When you first decided to create original music, did you have any specific vision in mind?
Aoi: Not really. I still don’t have a fixed vision. I don’t have a set genre or atmosphere for the songs I want to create.
How did each of you become so deeply involved in music?
Aoi: Music was always playing in the car at home, regardless of genre, when I was a child. Among that, I started to really like band songs. Once I got a smartphone and a computer, I began researching bands on my own and became increasingly fascinated. The first time I was truly struck by how amazing music could be was when I heard Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” I think the beauty and grand scale of it were a huge shock for me.
What was the turning point for you, Ao, from just listening to music to wanting to create it?
Aoi: Initially, I had a strong desire to be in a band. I felt this strongly from around middle school. I thought that in order to continue being in a band, we needed to have original songs. While not everyone might think this way, I believed that having original songs was essential for keeping a band going.

How did you get into music?
Kubo: It all started with listening to music in my parents’ car, especially THE BLUE HEARTS. I was a huge fan of Masatoshi Mashima, particularly his solo album Natsu no Nukegara. Since I didn’t have much else to do in middle school, I listened to that album repeatedly. I was really the type of middle school student who just kept listening to the same album over and over.
Was it a natural progression for you to start playing guitar yourself?
Kubo: Yes, it was. I actually started playing guitar in middle school, but again, since I didn’t have much else to do [laughs]. I didn’t have many friends, and when I came home from school, I had no choice but to play guitar at home.

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From Early School Years to a Band-Building Path
What do you find most joyful about being in a band now?
Kubo: It’s just fun. That’s all there is to it.
And how about you, Aoi?
Aoi: I’ve been thinking about bands and music since I was in elementary and middle school, so it feels more like a given rather than a joy. I didn’t want to go down any path where I couldn’t be in a band.
Why has music and being in a band become such a central part of your life?
Aoi: The idea that “rock bands are cool” became absolute for me. I got into UK rock and was inspired by the Gallagher brothers from Oasis, thinking, “You can be this free” or “You can say what you want.” It felt similar to the way I admired Ultraman or Kamen Rider and wanted to be something cool. For me, the concept of “cool” was the strongest attraction.

Aoi: Also, I started taking piano lessons when I was about five years old. I wasn’t particularly talented, but I often wondered, “How can I make use of this time I’ve spent on piano? How can I connect it to something else?” After about ten years of playing, there was a moment when my fingers finally moved the way I wanted them to. Through that long period, I experienced a shift in how I felt about the instrument. From that point on, my desire to hold onto it and not let it go became even stronger.
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The Motivation Behind Collaborating as a Pair Despite Solo Capabilities
In interviews with musicians, it’s common to hear about how they stopped playing piano or other instruments they had learned. For you, Ao, it seems that the experience of “changing your perception through persistence” was significant. Since you started composing music in middle school, have you had any songs that strongly resonated with you and felt like they were moving your life forward?
Aoi: I don’t have a standout memory of one particular song, but I do have favorites among the songs I’ve created. If I had to choose from what we’ve released as Summer Whales, it would be “Burden.” This song strikes a balance; it’s neither too high-energy nor too mellow, and it’s something you can listen to calmly without strain. Another favorite is the first track of our recent EP, “Are People Flowers.” This song was created without a specific goal in mind, like making the intro shorter for streaming platforms. Instead, it was about exploring what sound I wanted to create next. The entire EP reflects this approach, but I think “Are People Flowers” exemplifies it most clearly, so I’m really pleased with it.
You handle not only songwriting and composing but also mixing, which means you can complete much of the creative process on your own. However, your music career began with a fascination for “bands,” and Summer Whales is very much a duo that can be called a “band.” Do you think there is an aspect of your creativity where you feel the need for others?
Aoi: Yes, I do. I believe I can handle anything within the scope of my imagination on my own, but I am waiting for and seeking things that go beyond that. So, I might not be as drawn to the idea of completing everything by myself.
Do you find value in working as a duo?
Aoi: Yes, I do. I think it’s interesting to see what emerges when people with different lives come together.

Aoi’s songs and lyrics might seem to have a different taste compared to something like THE BLUE HEARTS on the surface. How do you, Kubo, find the appeal in Ao’s work as you engage with it?
Kubo: You’re right, the music I’ve listened to is quite different from Ao’s, but from the very first song Ao played for me when asking if I’d support, I didn’t feel any discomfort at all. Ao’s songs are generally based on very simple chords, and I find it impressive how such good melodies can come from that.
Is simplicity something Ao is consciously focusing on?
Aoi: It’s more about the melody than the simplicity of the chords. I like songs with easy-to-remember melodies, so I think that’s why my songs end up being simple.
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Writing Lyrics: A Matter of “Facing” Oneself
How did you come up with the name “Summer Whales” for the band?
Aoi: We initially wrote a song called “Swallow” as Summer Whales. The lyrics came to me more naturally than through intense thought, and the word “Whales” appeared in them. Additionally, I’ve always liked the vibe of summer songs. Combining these elements led to the name Summer Whales.
What kind of appeal do you find in summer songs?
Aoi: It’s a bit difficult to describe [laughs]. It’s more of a sensory thing for me. I actually create a special playlist for summer each year. Although I don’t particularly like the heat [laughs].
What does writing lyrics mean to you?
Aoi: Initially, I found creating sounds, rhythms, and melodies fun, while adding lyrics felt quite challenging. Even now, writing lyrics isn’t easy and it feels more like “confronting” something rather than purely enjoyable. For me, lyrics are less about conveying a message throughout the entire song and more about capturing something personal in a single line or word once the song is complete. When I can find that, it makes the song feel even better. It’s about discovering my own thoughts as I write.
Did you have that sense when writing the lyrics for “Swallow,” the first song made as Summer Whales?
Aoi: Since “Swallow” was our first track, I think I was able to write it in a simple way that reflects both “where we were before” and “where we’re going.” At that time, I was considering options like trying solo work after several unsuccessful attempts to form a band, so the song reflects that period.

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There is no concept intended as an EP.
The EP “Doughy” features a striking cover art. What was the concept or image behind the jacket design?
Aoi: There isn’t a particularly strong meaning behind it, but for me, it represents a part of the skin opening up, revealing something that isn’t actually inside the body. It’s abstract, but it was designed to evoke the idea of “going outward.”

The five tracks on the EP each stand alone as distinct pieces, but listening from the first to the fifth track, there seems to be a narrative that gradually converges into something more personal. Was there any thought put into selecting and arranging the tracks?
Aoi: We didn’t plan in advance what kind of work we wanted to create. However, looking back, I think the lack of a specific reference became a defining feature. Nowadays, many music and music videos are made with numerous references, but for “Doughy,” we didn’t use any references at all. We approached it with the idea of packaging what naturally came out of us, and I think that resulted in something uniquely Summer Whales.
How about for you, Kubo?
Kubo: As Aoi mentioned, it feels like we just played and recorded whatever came out of us. Although I’ve listened to a lot of music, so some influences might come through unintentionally, we didn’t consider how we wanted this EP to turn out. Each track was simply played and recorded as it came to us. That’s the approach we took.

For example, the lyrics of the first track “Are People Flowers” use the pronoun , while the lyrics of the fifth track “Chasing Your Shadow” use . How do you decide on the choice of pronoun in your lyrics?
Aoi: The choice between first-person singular and plural is intentional. It depends on whether the scene depicted in the lyrics is about what “I” want to do or what is happening “with others.” If I feel that it’s not just about one person, I write it simply as . “Are People Flowers” has more of a prose-poetry feel rather than clear lyrics, and I don’t fully understand its meaning myself. It gives me a sense of having found something, and that feeling seemed more like something discovered “together with others” rather than just by myself.
The lyrics of the second track “Stroller” seem to be addressing a specific “you.” What kind of scene is depicted in these lyrics?
Aoi: I think the lyrics blend personal feelings with what we want to convey to the listeners as a band.
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Self-Disclosure: A Path to Direct Connection at the Core of Emotions
-What was your intention in including the instrumental song “Scene: 4 A.M.” in the fourth track?
Aoi: I wanted to create a sense of space, and the bird sounds in this track are from a time when Kubo and I were talking until morning. We recorded the bird sounds we heard at that hour and included them in the track. I wanted to convey our environment and situation as they were, mixing in a bit of “reality.”
What do you think motivates the desire to blend in elements of “reality”?
Aoi: I think if we don’t convey our reality, listeners might eventually drift away. If we don’t disclose ourselves, there might be something that doesn’t come back to us.
Do you have a vision for how communication with the audience should be?
Aoi: I prefer to strip things down as much as possible and connect at the core of the sensation. Of course, I value aspects like costumes and hairstyles, but ultimately, I want the ‘core’ to be something that resonates between the creator and the audience. To achieve this, I need to disclose it. Otherwise, I have the image that the audience might not engage with it directly.

When you reveal yourself and present the core of what you have, it’s not about being okay with “not being understood by anyone.” Instead, there’s a sense of believing that it will resonate with “someone.”
Aoi: While it’s not necessarily a large number, I do feel vaguely that there are people who share the same sensibilities as me and who seek to be understood, who want their feelings to be nurtured and stimulated in a joyful way. I want to connect directly with those kinds of people.
I think many people who like rock bands are individuals with their own struggles. They cherish their personal sense of identity and may prefer to listen to music alone. Even though they seek unity at live shows, when I’m creating music or writing lyrics alone at home, I wonder, “Who am I delivering this to?” I want to be able to convey something directly and honestly to those people.
So, you also continue to hold onto that sense of individuality.
Aoi: I now have many friends who love music, but in the past, there weren’t many people who shared my taste for UK rock. When I was a teenager, the world I saw in movies and music videos was completely different from the scenery in Japan. The clothes I wanted to wear were different, too. While those feelings of being out of place have been resolved and I enjoy making music in Japan now, back then, I felt very disconnected. The joy I found was only in movies and music, not in reality. I don’t want to turn away from people who feel the same way now.

Summer Whales “Doughy”
2024.07.17 Release
1. “Are People Flowers
2. “Stroller
3. “Crack!
4. “Scene: 4A.M.
5. “Chasing Your Shadow
Price: ¥1,500 (plus tax)
Item number: SMWH-001
Specification: Normal Edition
Released by: Raw Rider Records
Summer Whales 1st E.P.Doughy Release Tour

Tokyo
09/01(Sun) @ Shimokitazawa BASEMENTBAR
Summer Whales
Emputei
Qoodow
OPEN/START 18:00/18:30
TICKET ¥3,000( 1D)
Link: eplus.jp/sf/detail/4115410001-P0030001
Kyoto version
09/16(Mon., holiday)@Kyoto CLUB METRO
Summer Whales
HOME
Black petrol
OPEN/START 18:00/18:30
TICKET ¥3,000( 1D)
Link: eplus.jp/sf/detail/4115500001-P0030001