GARNET CROW “泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も” Interview

GARNET CROW will release their long-awaited new single "泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も" on July 23, seven months after their previous work, "クリスタル・ゲージ." While this song has the meticulousness of a GARNET CROW-like world, where strength and delicacy intermingle, it is also an ambitious work where new attempts can be seen throughout. We spoke with vocalist and composer Yuri Nakamura and keyboardist and arranger Hirohito Furui about this new song, while also touching on the period after their first live performances.

-- First, this new release comes after a seven-month interval since the previous single. What were you doing during that time?

Hirohito Furui: GARNET CROW often has each person doing separate activities too. While continuing my work as an arranger and helping on Mai Kuraki's tour at the same time, I steadily worked on GARNET CROW's production.

-- Around when was "泣けない夜も 泣かない朝も" made?

Hirohito Furui: It was not a song we had stocked from before; it was completely newly written. Perhaps because of that, while it keeps the scent of GARNET CROW up to now, I think listeners will be able to feel a new fragrance, or that kind of atmosphere. For example, it has rap scattered through it, and I think it is a song with an image that makes your body start dancing without thinking.

-- For example, as the composer, what did Ms. Nakamura most want to convey through this work?

-- Specifically, what kind of sound were you aiming for?

Hirohito Furui: For my part, the instant I heard this song, images came to me from the very beginning and I moved forward rapidly. I had so much fun making it that I think the finished result is full of playfulness. The more deeply people listen, the more they will hear various sounds and rhythms, and I think they will enjoy that.

-- It is certainly a work where you can feel a valuable attention to sound, worth the seven-month interval. Were there difficult parts in the recording?

Hirohito Furui: We tried many things with the single-minded desire to make it good. This time, I was especially particular about the bass line. A comfortable melodic line while bringing out a horizontal flow... This is actually one of the points I have cared about in making backing tracks during my life as an arranger (laughs). We ended up using synth bass, but when I used to play bass in a band, I was strongly influenced by the beauty and effect of Paul McCartney's lines, so I valued that kind of sound. Also, for the mix, we referred to ideas from several engineers and redid it many times.

-- In your exchanges with the members while making this work, did you discover anything new?

Hirohito Furui: I had Ms. Nakamura try several settings for the vocal key, and it made me realize again that the resonance and effect of the voice are truly important. Also, this time the arrangement was finished before the lyrics, but even in such a case, AZUKI skillfully matched the lyrics to the image of the sound. Arrangements can change greatly depending on the flow of lyrics and melody, but with GARNET CROW, that area has somehow fit together well from before.

-- The arrangement mixes analog and digital feelings well. Do you arrange while being conscious of that area?

Hirohito Furui: When I think it may have leaned too far to one side, I choose the instruments or tones to use, or try a different approach. After all, I think one of the charms of GARNET CROW's songs is their power to fuse analog and digital in a way that works for both.

-- And this new song too feels like a very GARNET CROW-like piece. What are your own impressions of it?

-- Earlier, you said this song was made after last year's first live tour. Did that first live tour influence your songwriting? Or did anything change inside you because of the live performances?

Hirohito Furui: Even normally, while arranging I would think at the same time about live arrangements, like, "At a concert we can do this and that." But after actually holding concerts, those live images became even clearer. That is why I am truly looking forward to doing this song live!!

-- Now I would like to ask about the coupling song, "For South." This is a song with a different atmosphere from the first track.

-- It has a 1960s-style image from the intro. Where did that idea come from?

Hirohito Furui: The moment I heard the demo, I smelled the '60s. When I thought, "What would that feel like if GARNET CROW did it now?" it turned into this.

-- What did you try to express in this work?

Hirohito Furui: I wanted it to be a work where listeners could feel something inside themselves: something new, something nostalgic, or the sense that they have heard this feeling somewhere before.

-- How was the recording?

Hirohito Furui: During guitar dubbing and so on, I remember being in a studio we were using for the first time and working with the staff, saying this way and that way. During the mix too, we tried many things with the engineer, such as the size of the drum sound and how it was heard.

-- AZUKI's lyrics here seem to contain expressions different from usual, especially words like "うざい" and "さかりのついた猫"...

Hirohito Furui: I think that area is interesting too. It has a relaxed feeling and fits the song's tone... While skillfully bringing in those phrases that snag the ear, the way Yuri Nakamura sings them lightly feels like one of the kinds of fun that only GARNET CROW has.

-- Finally, including your own wishes, how do you think GARNET CROW's activities will develop from here?

Hirohito Furui: I think the secrets behind the seven months since the previous work will gradually be revealed.