[English Translation]

tricot - "A N D"
Interview & text by Atsutake Kaneko

Returning to roots leads to exciting irregular beats featuring 5 unique guest drummers! With unrivaled groove, the 3 girls move towards an even more unpredictable future - 

 

 

A return-to-roots of a sort

After its first Asian tour held last March, Japanese rock band tricot was back to its original three members as drummer komaki♂ left the group. However, the three never stopped going forward, and immediately welcomed a support drummer Miyoko Yamaguchi of Japanese garage rock band DETOROITSEVEN to continue giving live performances. In summer, with the back-up support from popular DJs of the prestigious NME and BBC, tricot held its first European tour. By performing at local music festivals and serving as a support act for Pixies, they successfully expanded their musical platform overseas as well.

"As we had no releases overseas, naturally, it was the first time to see our show for most of the audience. But during the shows at festivals, the more we played, the more applause and cheers we received. I realized our music reached them and selfishly felt connected to the people in each country. I'm glad to have been there. It was like the same feeling I had when we performed at a festival for the first time in Japan." (Ikkyu Nakajima, Vocal/Guitar)

tricot A N D BAKURETSU(2015)


Following such a return-to-roots of a sort, the three entered into a full-fledged production phase. After the single "E" whose music video was published on NME.com prior to the release, they released the new album "A N D." They turned the situation without a drummer to its advantage and welcomed 5 unique players as guests to the new album. As the title suggests, this is a sort of collaborative album, and yet it makes us rediscover tricot's core values remain undiminished.

"We first wrote songs with GarageBand, a music creating app, and added rough drum patterns. Then, we discussed who we want to work with. As we used to create songs through jam sessions based on the given rhythms before, it was difficult to expand the image of a song at first, but we gradually got used to it." (Motifour Kida, Guitar)

"We realized that the previous way of writing songs had limitations and wanted to try a new approach. We used to make music in a small sound-proof studio, but this time we gathered in my house and recorded the phrases we came up with over a cup of tea. Such a relaxed, easy-going atmosphere may be reflected in the enlightened sounds." (Nakajima)

"With no defined rhythm at all but only a guitar phrase, I added the bass lines as they came to me. The three of us then added the rhythm patterns at the end. The use of this approach largely helped me to expand the image." (Hiromi Hirohiro, Bass)

 

Better to make the heart dance

This album putting each drummer's uniqueness to use displays the widest-ever range of their music, including tricot's signature aggressive pieces like "E" and "Hashire (meaning Run)" that greatly focus on complicated irregular rhythms, "Kobe Number" with an impressive catchy melody, and "Niwa (meaning Garden)" that starts with straight backbeats but immediately changes into 16 bars beats and furthermore boldly develops into a samba rhythm.

"We were working on "Kobe Number" through jam sessions in a studio around the time of the release of "99.974℃" in 2013. At that time, Akai Koen (Japanese four-piece girl band) was on hiatus, and we wanted to make it a 'Tsuno Maisa (Guitarist/composer/producer of the band)-sound song.' After all, it ended up with our own sound, though (LOL)." (Kida)

"While there are rock songs 'made for you to dance,' I don't think it would be cool if I created a song myself to make people dance. Instead of that, it is better if you make the heart dance while listening to our songs, isn't it? I was thinking of that while writing "Niwa (meaning Garden)," which ends up with a samba rhythm (LOL)." (Nakajima)

Moreover, another guest in addition to the drummers took part in the album. H ZETT M, a Japanese keyboardist and producer also known as 'Genius piano magician,' demonstrates his brilliant piano play on "QFF" and "Pai-n," adding a nice touch to the tracks.

"When we were making a demo of "QFF," Hiromi-san wanted to add some piano to it. I wasn't so sure with the idea, because I believed the coolness of tricot is the sound comprised of guitar, bass, and drums. But when we had a chance to act with H ZETT M, I was astonished by his play and really wanted him to join our album." (Nakajima)

"I had always personally loved the sound of piano. Getting back to 3 members and having guest drummers, I don’t think we have to stick to the sound made all by ourselves any more. H ZETT M played several versions of the solo in the last part of "QFF," all of which were so excellent that we couldn't pick a single one (LOL)." (Hiromi)

 

Towards an unpredictable future

As tricot sings on "Break," the first single after going back to 3 members and the last track of this album, 'kantan-na kotodewa naikedo sayounara / mata itsuka (meaning It's not easy to do, but good bye. See you again someday),' 'going back to 3' was probably not an easy option. But it is undoubtedly their positive attitude of not being afraid of change that led tricot to the current, sort of solitary position. Going forward, they will keep treading lightly on their own path.

We first started with 3 members. So, it's like the impulse I first had when I started music has come back. Despite being a band without a drummer, I'm sure three heads can do anything. The strange confidence of feeling invincible seems to have come back to me." (Hiromi)

"None of our expectations have been proven true until now(LOL). I think we had many misfortunes that other bands have never had, though we had many miracles as well. So, I can say an unpredictable future is waiting for us. While being scared of what the future holds (LOL), we look forward to seeing it." (Nakajima)