School Food Punishment "RPG" Exclusive Interview Translation, Part 2

Source: Excite

--How did you feel while you were working on the new single, “RPG?”

Uchimura: We made each of the three songs on this single in a different way, but “RPG” was written in in more the same way that we’ve always written music, and it also had a demo from the beginning. That song was written during the rush of releases year before last, and we’ve been wanting to release it ever since. So when we decided to start our “second phase,” it came to mind immediately. We wanted to release this song, so we had a lot to think about.

--This song is very characteristic of School Food Punishment (SFP), with a scampering feeling and strings...

U: We took at look at “SFP” from a bird’s eye view, and we saw that a great majority of our songs have this same feeling. So we wanted to say “Thanks for waiting!” by starting fresh with a groove like in “futuristic communication” and “light prayer.”

--To the extent that SFP uses the strings to exemplify reluctance, “RPG” seems to be of the same “model” as those previous songs. (laugh)

U: That’s the point. (laugh) To tell the truth, while we were writing these songs, we considered not using the strings, but I said that they would be better with them... The person I was two years ago wanted to hear me say that. (laugh)

-- (laugh) Did “RPG” have lyrics on the demo?

U: All the songs included on this single did, but they were only tentative lyrics, and before we recorded we looked hard at how we should adjust them. Eguchi wrote all the lyrics on this single. Before, on our other work, the lyrics were good no matter how you took them. They were good even if you misheard them, and they were good if you thought about them. But we'd adjust them to make them easier to understand. There’s a joy to singing lyrics, and a joy to hearing that they’ve stirred emotion in someone. So when I was more calm [after our rush of releases], I wanted to write more “lyrical” lyrics. To that end, I wanted them to be done by a third party.

--So you took them from “diary” to “lyrics?”

U: Yes, exactly. Before I just laid everything out in my lyrics, exactly the way it felt when it came out of me, but this time I wanted something more lyrical. And to that end, I didn’t think that what I’d written could strictly be called "lyrics."

--Did SFP not want to write lyrics?

U: Yeah. Doing this is better than having us write the lyrics, and they remain consistent with the way that I think.

Hidai: I think that our lyrics have been getting more and more easy to understand since we went major, but with this single we’ve placed more focus on the melody, and it’s easier to listen to. We’ve been consciously moving in that direction. We’ve actually been trying things out, then listening to it and tweeking afterwards. We feel like we’re conveying so much more than just music.

--And so, in that way, SFP has started their “second phase” with “RPG.”

U: Yes. “RPG” is consistent between both what the fans hoped for and what we thought would be good. The other songs on the single are the same way. From this single you can start to see the “second phase” that we’ve been working on. We’re really looking forward to hearing the next thing we make. (laugh)

--(laugh) How do you feel about your plans after this?

U: We want our work going forward to be easier to understand, although we don't want to abandon everything we’ve done up until now. We want it to be easier to understand who we are and what kind of music we make. But the content will change more and more... I think that our work from here on will have an element of surprise, and it’s good for it to have an impact.

--And finally, please give us a message to pass along to your fans.

H: We’re prepping and putting everything in order; we’re not stopping with music. We really hope that you’ll enjoy the work we’re creating for you.

U: We want to do things that that the people who have been waiting for us and the people who will come to know us in the future will enjoy. We really want you to enjoy SFP.