I met Will in 2018. He was on vacation in Japan with his fiancée Christina.
It was a sudden invitation from a friend saying, ``Would you like to come to have lunch with Will Yip at a sushi restaurant in Shibuya?'' That was my first meeting with him. At that time, my first impression was, "Oh, it's real. I saw it on YouTube." For some reason, I got along with him. This may be due to the fact that we had several friends in common. During his two-week stay, I spent a considerable amount of time with him.
He told me many times during my stay, ``You can just record in my studio!'' Let me state this without fear of being overly pretentious: the reality is that more than half of the promises made by Americans are not kept. I myself have experienced the pain several times. So at that time, I was skeptical. But after he returned to Japan, he actually contacted me about recording. My lifelong dream suddenly appeared in front of me, and I couldn't believe it was happening to me.
After many meetings with the members at the time, we decided to record for about a month from December 2020 to January 2021. Then, songwriting began at the end of 2019, marking the beginning of a one-year project.
I always create demo sound sources using Logic at home or in the office. This time, I really wanted to make the work even better than before, so I rented a soundproof space at Attic Studio in Harajuku to create the demo.
Up until then, there were environmental issues when producing demos, and we had to go through the process of creating songs only after we had an orchestra, but by using a soundproof room, we were able to sing out loud and record the temporary songs we came up with on the spot. I think the big change was that by introducing the melody early on, we were able to reduce unnecessary instrumental phrases.
I went to the studio once or twice a week, and I think I was there for 5 to 6 hours at most. There were days when I went home with no ideas, and other days when I came up with two or three songs a day. I think I created 17 to 18 song fragments over a period of about 4 to 5 months.
"Okay! Now let's finish these songs!" In the midst of this momentum, a pandemic occurs all over the world.
At one point, even going to the United States was in jeopardy, but the crisis turned out to be an opportunity. Somehow, he managed to hold on to his broken heart and finally completed a 13-song demo in the summer of 2020, using the time when he was unable to go out due to the pandemic. Then, over the next two to three months, I wrote the lyrics with Kensuke Yamamoto and recorded them as demos in the order they were written.
I've known him for a long time and wrote all of the lyrics for Hollow Suns with him. I think he understood my feelings and wished for me with even more enthusiasm than before. In order to increase the number of metaphorical expressions, the two of them looked at photos of the landscapes that the song was envisioning, brainstormed ideas for various metaphors, and tried new approaches.
I think it was around October that everything was completed.
Sending the demo to Will, saving money on a plane ticket, and traveling to the United States gradually became a reality. I even talked to Will on FaceTime, and the day of my departure was getting closer and closer.
Due to several members leaving the band due to the coronavirus pandemic, and guitarist Ayumu not being able to leave his job at a live house due to the pandemic, we arranged for a drummer locally for this recording, and I was responsible for all other parts. In the demo production, I was in charge of all the instruments, so there were no technical problems. However, I had always wanted to go to America with the members. Next time I'll definitely be in a band.
My wife, Ai, came with me as an interpreter, although I couldn't say it was a substitute. Her main job is on-site interpretation for artists and actors, and she is also used to studio work. Without her help, this album would not have been completed.
Will himself volunteered to be the local drummer, but he had a chronic illness in his hand and had to undergo major surgery in the fall, so he gave up. Instead, Ben from Tigers Jaw ended up hitting me. By the way, another candidate is Joe from The Menzingers. It would have been a different taste if he had hit it.
For several months from then until I moved to the United States, I was in a state where everything was in my head and all I could think about was America. I tried watching Studio4's YouTube video to calm myself down, but I couldn't watch it for even 5 minutes. I think he was playing the guitar and fidgeting right away. That's how important it was to my life. I think he was no longer a child on the eve of a field trip, but just a dangerous old man. I am grateful to my wife for watching over me.
Thus, the prologue of “Otherside”, which began in 2018, finally reached the day of its arrival in the United States and entered the main story.
