VOL.104 13th single“泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も”

From music freak magazine Vol.104

GARNET CROW

New Single *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も*
Released July 23!

From music freak magazine Vol.104

*泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も*

Seven months after their previous single *クリスタル・ゲージ*, GARNET CROW will release the eagerly awaited new single *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も* on July 23. The song preserves GARNET CROW's distinctive world of carefully crafted music, where strength and delicacy intertwine, while introducing new ideas in various places. We spoke with vocalist and composer Yuri Nakamura and keyboardist and arranger Hirohito Furui about the new song, as well as what happened after their first concert.

● First, this is a new release arriving seven months after your previous single. What were you doing during that interval?

Yuri Nakamura (vocals; hereafter Nakamura): We had just gone through our first concert and taken part in some events, so I first let myself calm down a little, and then devoted myself to writing songs.

Hirohito Furui (keyboards; hereafter Furui): The members of GARNET CROW often pursue separate activities as well. Alongside my work as an arranger and helping out on Mai Kuraki's tour, I steadily continued working on GARNET CROW's productions.

● When was *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も* written?

Nakamura: It's a new song I wrote after the concert.

Furui: It wasn't a song we'd had in storage; it was written completely from scratch. That's why, while it retains the familiar GARNET CROW character, it also has what you might call a new fragrance. I think people will be able to sense that atmosphere. For example, we sprinkled rap parts throughout, giving it the kind of feel that makes your body want to start moving on its own.

● As the composer, what did you most want to convey through this work?

Nakamura: The overarching theme was the feeling of “Let's do our best one more time” and “Let's live,” after experiencing so many things for the first time. I wrote the song with that feeling in mind.

● What kind of sound did you want to create specifically?

Nakamura: I wanted the A and B sections to have a nostalgic, wistful atmosphere, something like longing for one's hometown. For me, I think the melody came from the feeling of looking back on the concert experience and thinking, “It's already something I miss.”

Furui: The moment I heard the song, ideas kept pouring into my head, and the production moved forward so quickly that I really enjoyed making it. I think the finished track is full of playfulness. The more carefully you listen, the more different sounds and rhythms you'll hear, and I hope you enjoy discovering them.

● You can certainly hear how much care went into the sound, making the seven-month wait feel worthwhile. Were there any particularly difficult parts of the recording?

Nakamura: Yes (laughs). But that's how we always work: from the melody and lyrics through to the mix, we try many different versions before the final form, continuing until we arrive at the one we can accept most fully. The lyrics also contain powerful lines, such as “make me feel that I'm alive,” so I didn't want to undermine that impression... To express the strength of the chorus, I was conscious of my singing style and sang it with a feeling of breaking through.

Furui: We tried many things with the single-minded aim of making it as good as possible. This time, in particular, we paid close attention to the bass line. It needed to have a sense of movement across the song while still being a comfortable melodic line. That's one of the things I've always cared about when building an arrangement throughout my career as an arranger (laughs). We ultimately used a synth bass, but when I played bass in a band years ago, I was strongly influenced by the beauty and impact of Paul McCartney's bass lines, so I wanted to preserve something of that sonic feeling. We also referred to ideas from several engineers during the mix and redid it many times.

● Did you discover anything new through your exchanges with the other members while making this work?

Furui: I had Nakamura try several different vocal keys and settings, which reminded me once again how important the resonance of a voice and the effects it creates really are. Also, although the arrangement was finished before the lyrics this time, AZUKI still managed to make the lyrics fit the sound's imagery beautifully. The arrangement can change greatly depending on the flow of the lyrics and melody, but with GARNET CROW, those elements have always come together in a mysterious way.

● The arrangement combines an analog feel and a digital feel very effectively. Do you work consciously with that in mind?

Furui: If I feel that something has leaned too far in one direction, I choose different instruments or tones, or try a different approach. I think one of the attractions of GARNET CROW's music is its ability to fuse analog and digital elements in a way that works naturally on both sides.

● This new song also feels very much like GARNET CROW. What are your own thoughts about it?

Nakamura: We took our time and made it carefully, and I feel that we've created a work I'm very satisfied with.

● You mentioned earlier that this song was written after last year's first concert tour. Did that tour influence your songwriting, or change anything within you?

Nakamura: Yes. After actually performing in front of our fans, I realized all over again, “So these are the people listening to our music.” I was so, so happy, and it made me want to keep writing songs and keep singing. My desire to create became stronger than ever.

Furui: Even in everyday arranging, I would think about what we could do live—“We could do this here and that there”—while considering the live arrangement at the same time. After actually performing, those images of the stage became much clearer. That's why I'm really looking forward to playing this song live!

● I'd also like to ask about the coupling track *For South*. It has a very different atmosphere from the first song.

Nakamura: This one had existed for about six months. Actually, we'd been waiting for the right time to release it (laughs).

● It has a distinctly 1960s feel from the intro onward. Where did that idea come from?

Furui: I sensed the atmosphere of the 1960s the instant I heard the demo. I wondered what it would sound like if GARNET CROW made that kind of music now, and it became what you hear today.

● What did you want to express in this work?

Nakamura: To express a languid feeling, I thought about the backing vocals as well as the lead vocal. I'd be happy if it could put listeners in a strange, dreamlike mood.

Furui: I wanted to make a work that would make listeners feel something—perhaps something new, perhaps something nostalgic, or perhaps the feeling that they had heard something like it somewhere before.

● How was the recording?

Furui: I remember that while overdubbing the guitars, we all worked with the staff in a studio we were using for the first time, trying one thing and then another and saying, “Not this,” or “Not that either.” During the mix, we also tried various things with the engineer, such as the volume of the drums and how they came across.

● AZUKI's lyrics on this track include expressions that feel different from usual, such as “annoying” and “a cat in heat”...

Furui: I think those parts are interesting too. They have a relaxed quality that fits the style of the song... The way Nakamura casually sings those striking phrases while incorporating them so skillfully is one of the unique pleasures of GARNET CROW, I think.

● Finally, please tell us about GARNET CROW's future activities, including your own hopes for the group.

Furui: I think the secrets of the seven months since our previous single will gradually be revealed.

Nakamura: Please look forward to it!

(Interview: Sai Saida)

Release Information

GARNET CROW new single *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も*
Released July 23
GIZA studio / GZCA-7024 / 1,000 yen (tax included)

1. 泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も
2. For South
3. 泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も 〜instrumental〜

※ *泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も* is the ending theme for TV Asahi's *内村プロデュース*.

From July 28, the new song *君という光* (release date undecided) will air as the ending theme for the Yomiuri TV/Nippon TV anime *名探偵コナン*!