GIRLFRIENDZ Interview: Japanese Indie Pop’s Third-Gen Goth Revival

Last Updated on 2026-02-09 by a-indie

Roots Beyond Music

—Maririn: What would you say are your roots outside of music?

Ido Kyo: Goth. The first book I picked up myself was “Cirque du Freak” (Darren Shan). I read “Cirque du Freak,” then listened to Crystal Castles, and so on. Two years ago, I went to Italy and visited the Medici Chapel.

—Maririn: The place with bone decorations!

Answers Found in Italy

Ido Kyo: When I entered the Medici Chapel, various memories came flooding back… I’m not a Christian, but I attended Christian schools from middle school through university. When I entered the chapel, the piano was playing a song I used to sing every day. I was overwhelmed by this feeling of “I’m home.”
There were decorations made from human bones everywhere. Bones wrapped with ribbons and other decorations. I was like, “What is this!?” I googled it, and it said there was a belief that seeing the bones of deceased priests would lead people to heaven.
I don’t remember the details exactly, but that’s what it said. This kind of art was created with a very positive spiritual meaning around AD 200. When I realized that the origin of my journey—reading “Cirque du Freak” and listening to Crystal Castles—was Christian culture, from which gothic culture was born, I thought, “This is my life.”

—Maririn: So it connects not to religion but to the word and culture of “goth.”

Ido Kyo: I don’t practice Christianity, but being in churches calms me down. I want to express that in a contemporary way. Many of the overseas bands I like have some gothic element somewhere.

Encounter with Church Art

—Maririn: I totally understand that feeling. I also studied at Meiji Gakuin University’s art department, which was a Protestant school, so we were required to take Bible classes. With art, the works you deal with inevitably become Christianity-related. I went to Italy wanting to see art, and there at the San Giovanni Baptistery’s “Gates of Paradise,” when I saw Christ’s face on the ceiling, I thought, “Ah, God exists.” I was seeing God through the painting.

Ido Kyo: I see. There’s probably intentional positioning and intentional use of color meant to put you in that state of mind, and it’s designed so you can feel the existence of God.

—Maririn: Originally, church art was meant so that even people who didn’t understand language or couldn’t read could understand the content of the Bible.

Ido Kyo: I never thought that kind of goth existed in Italy. I’m really glad I went to Italy.

Liberation from Chuunibyou Culture

—Maririn: I understand. What has been passed down for many years remains.

Ido Kyo: I felt like my core was firmly established two years ago with that experience. Until then, I had been vaguely thinking, “I like hip-hop, I like this and that.” I began to see the lineage that continuously flowed from churches starting in AD 200, leading to “Cirque du Freak” and Crystal Castles. In Japan, there’s still an atmosphere that gothic art and such are chuunibyou culture — a Japanese adolescent fantasy subculture that you’re expected to grow out of. But I made a major decision: “No, it wasn’t at that level.”

Mayu Baby’s Roots

Mayu Baby: Honestly, I can’t think of much for roots outside music (laughs). But speaking of mysteriously comforting environments like Ido mentioned, I was born in Tsukishima, Tokyo, and lived my childhood constantly surrounded by the Sumida River. I could walk to Harumi Pier easily and regularly saw SF-like night views. When I’m seeing something vast that makes me feel like a small existence, I somehow feel reassured, and I think that sensation is reflected in the solo music I’ve made so far.

Also, I like flowing, fluid things. The sea, rivers, and even urban scenery in a way. I like things that change shape, and they comfort me. Staying in one place, or one name or form, doesn’t make me feel comfortable. My personality and preferences are so fluid that even I can’t really grasp myself.

When I decided to join GIRLFRIENDZ, or when there’s something exciting and thrilling, I like to go see the sea, rivers, or piers.

I also like the cyberpunk worldview of entering the electronic world like in “Ghost in the Shell.” That includes Grimes and Björk, and in terms of movies, “The Fifth Element” too.

One Month Since Formation

—Maririn: So that worldview is the background of GIRLFRIENDZ. Now, what have you been doing this one month from formation until today? I think the first few days were recording and MV shooting, but have you done any live shows since then?

Mayu Baby: At this point, we haven’t done any live shows yet. The first one will be the Okinawa show on January 30th at the end of this month, then we’ll do a self-organized show at Shimokitazawa THREE on February 13th, and the next day we’ll perform in Sendai.

First Live Show in Okinawa

—Maririn: Having your first live show in Okinawa is also quite irregular, so I’m wondering about the schedule.

Ido Kyo: Around the time I met Hitomi and Miguel, we all gathered, and since this was a project I wanted to do seriously, I thought I’d do a vibe check with everyone and asked, “How seriously do you want to do this?” Everyone said, “We want to do it seriously,” so I figured we should organize everything at that pace. I like to do things rapidly. So on the day I learned everyone wanted to do it seriously, I decided we’d do a self-organized show at Shimokitazawa THREE. Then, working backward from that, we thought we should release the debut single around this time. Right after Mayu joined, we released the debut single “Tonight.” We’ve been operating according to a schedule we decided from the start.