Here is an interview with MONO NO AWARE about their fifth album, The Buffet.

While it is unfortunately not discussed during the following interview, I do very much feel that the single “Kaze no Muki ga Kawatte” is another obvious career highlight for the group in its own solemn yet strangely easygoing way.

Interview & text: Tosa Ariake (Japanese text)
Photography: Masuda Renzo (source)
English translation: Henkka
MONO NO AWARE: Website, Instagram, Twitter

Note: You can buy this album on CDJapan.

MONO NO AWARE
Takeda Ayako, Tamaoki Shukei, Kato Seijun, Yanagisawa Yutaka

MONO NO AWARE—a four-piece band with catchy, hook-filled melodies and an all-original sound. Yamaguchi Ichiro (Sakanaction), Mukai Shutoku (ZAZEN BOYS), and Yonezu Kenshi are just some of the people who hold this group in high regard.

Arriving approximately three years after their previous release, Gyouretsu no Dekiru Hakobune (2021), their new album is titled The Buffet. According to vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Tamaoki Shukei, the album’s title reflects certain feelings which were influenced by the post-COVID era. But beyond that, what really deserves one’s attention—astonishment, even—must be the album’s totally organic, three-dimensional band sound. The way all of the instruments intertwine to create a multi-layered ensemble, it is a clear testament to just how much all four members have grown and matured in terms of both their skills and their creative ideas.

We sat down to talk with Tamaoki Shukei, Kato Seijun (guitar, backing vocals), Takeda Ayako (bass, backing vocals), and Yanagisawa Yutaka (drums, backing vocals).

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