On the balance between songwriting and “hors d’oeuvre” albums

“MONTHLY FEATURE” is a series that introduces various artists and works that are attracting attention from Billboard Japan. February’s featured artist is shy taupe, a Japanese three-piece band formed in June 2022 by members of a university music club. On April 25, 2023, they released their digital single “Rendezvous”, which became frequently covered on TikTok and other social media for both vocal covers and guitar accompaniment performances. The song became a viral hit for him, charting in August 2023, and in November Shy His Tope reached his 100 millionth total streaming count.

Their first full album, Hors d’oeuvreReleased in February of this year, the band combines pop sensibilities with sentimentalism. The lyrics are very beautiful and touch my heart. The vocals skillfully change their tone from song to song, conveying the emotions of the characters in each song. This album contains a wide variety of songs that convey the fluctuations of human emotions. Billboard Japan caught up with the three members of Shy Tope, who participated in their first national tour, and talked about their aesthetic and musical philosophy.

You’re in the middle of your first Japan tour, right? how are you?

So Sasaki (Vocal/Guitar): We have completed three performances on the tour so far, and we really enjoyed performing at each venue. I’m looking forward to it because I think our experience will open us up to new perspectives when the tour ends.

Takatoman (Drums): The atmosphere of the audience is different depending on the place we perform, so every time I think about it, “What kind of live should we do?” At each performance, I want to perform even better than the last time. Without forgetting that spirit, we would like to continue to show our customers new things. I think we will grow as a band through this process.

Masaki Fukunaga (B): Just by changing one song on the set list, the atmosphere of the live performance can completely change. I feel like our live performances are getting better each time we play, so I’m looking forward to the tour finale on March 31st.

You formed your band in June 2022 and have now reached a stage in your music career where the potential for a viral hit on social media cannot be ignored. What do you think about that aspect of the music scene?

Sasaki: I’ve never said anything like, “Let’s create a buzz and make it big.” When writing a song, I never thought about what theme, lyrics, or melody I should use to make it popular. However, I have a strong desire for many people to listen to our music. So it was a little difficult. We want a lot of people to listen to our music, but we don’t want to focus on creating a buzz.

I understand. The lyrics are easy to understand, but you can tell that they put a lot of effort into writing them neatly.

Sasaki: That’s right (lol). I can write very straightforward lyrics, but I prefer more poetic expressions. When you look at the lyrics, you want them to look like a poem and not just a paragraph. I think this will be a struggle I always face. All you have to do is struggle through trial and error and move forward.

In the process of pursuing that vision, “Rendezvous” became a viral hit in September 2023.

Fukunaga: Listeners have had more opportunities to listen to songs like “Heya” and “pink,” but it was a surprise to us to see Shytope ranked in such a familiar ranking.

Takatoman: But I don’t think my attitude and approach to music has changed. The numbers and rankings have changed so much that it’s hard to believe it’s reality, and while we’re happy to be appreciated like this, there’s also a lot of pressure on us to become even stronger as a band and live up to expectations.

Sasaki: When I wrote Rendezvous, I didn’t really feel like I had written a masterpiece. Even when it was released, it didn’t feel like a masterpiece. But thanks to that experience, I realized that this is what it feels like to write something that a lot of people will listen to. When people started listening to “Pink,” there were a lot of unexpected reactions online. I was surprised to see how people interpreted the lyrics.

That’s not what you meant when you wrote the lyrics.

Sasaki: That’s right. But I’m actually glad to see such a misunderstanding. It’s not all about having the listener receive my lyrics the way I intended. If listeners interpret my lyrics in a different way and it helps them get through a difficult time, that’s even better and I’m glad I wrote this song. There’s a part of me that writes songs for myself, but that’s not enough. Humans are not islands. I believe that deep down, everyone, to some degree or another, hopes that their actions will benefit others.

your first album, Hors d’oeuvreThe songs, including “Rendezvous,” show that Shy Tope is a multifaceted band. It feels like you paid a lot of attention to the balance of the album.

Sasaki: I feel like I listen to music less and less in albums these days. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but in our case, for the sake of the people who listen to the album as an album, we want to continue to be careful about the order of the songs on the album. I’d like to do something interesting with the order of the songs on the album, like putting the title song at the end of the album.

Fukunaga: I got into music because of the CD albums my parents used to play in the car. I also listen to individual songs from time to time, and I feel like Mr. Sasaki understands the merits of the album, so I empathize with him.

Takatoman: When I pick up an album, I feel like I can sense something important to the artist that cannot be expressed in electronic formats such as playlists. That’s why I always want to cherish albums.

You could say that the reason why they are able to produce such a wide variety of songs is because they value the medium of expression called albums.

Sasaki: When writing songs, I place great importance on balance. I don’t want to just keep making ballads and be a “ballad band.” I want people who hear “Rendezvous” to pick it up. Hors d’oeuvre You can also enjoy songs with a different atmosphere, such as “Burn!!”. We chose this song with our desire to be a band with a well-balanced repertoire.That’s why I chose the title Hors d’oeuvreThis is because the band is as diverse as the hors d’oeuvres at a party, and just like the hors d’oeuvres, you can sense that the main dish is about to come. We want to live up to people’s expectations and show people that we are versatile – that we can write the lyrics we want, the way we want, and make the music we want to make. Masu. We would like to develop in a well-balanced manner on both axes.

You’ve said that the songs you write are about things people experience in everyday life, and a lot of your songs are about love, chasing dreams, and observations from everyday life.

Sasaki: My daily life can be summarized into these three things. That’s why our songs are so real.

Shai Tope is currently offering hors d’oeuvres across Japan, but maybe the best is yet to come?

Sasaki: I think what kind of songs we should make and what kind of songs we want to make changes every time we make new music. That change itself is interesting, and I think that if you reflect that change in your songs, you can create interesting music. I have always admired Mr.Children very much. They are very good at balancing what they want to do with meeting the expectations of others. I want Shai Tope to never slack off, to always explore, imagine, have fun, and wrestle with music.

Fukunaga: I think it takes skill to do what you want to do. That’s why I want to learn more musical phrases, absorb influences, and improve my ability to do what I want to do.

Takatoman: The future is not just wine and roses. I’m sure there will be some difficult times. That’s why I have to not only improve my skills as a musician, but also grow as a person. If I don’t grow as a person, I feel like I’ll lose the ability to continue doing what I want to do and the ability to continue making music. That’s why I want to continue to grow while maintaining a balance during this tour.

—This interview with Sayako Oki was first published on Billboard Japan