Last Updated on 2025-10-09 by a-indie
Album Structure and Attention to Detail
The Quest for Perfect Track Order
-Yuuki Takita: I also think this work reflects your experience in production and audio engineering, and it’s a work that values the album format in a way that’s rarely seen in recent years. Specifically, the track order. Among songs that showcase diverse sounds, I tried listening to the album in various orders – from track 1 in order, starting from track 6, randomly, etc. I tried various approaches, but what I thought was best was listening from track 1 in order (the connection from “Cards On The Table” to “Float (feat. Jim Adkins)” is especially amazing!). Recent album works by other artists tend to have mixtape-like aspects, with songs standing out individually and losing much of the meaning of being album works. While that has its merits, your current work is one that demonstrates its true value when listened to as a complete album. That’s what excited me most – what kind of ingenuity went into the track order? Also, what were your particular concerns and thoughts when creating an album work?
Wow yes, thank you so much for your attention to detail here! I am definitely guilty of only listening to singles or focusing on one track on newer albums today.. it is quite hard to not be distracted by the oversaturation of singles during album rollouts.
The track order was a very important part of the album, it was also done in the span of 5 minutes. My co-producer Joao Gonzalez and I share the exact same thoughts on sequencing – the first track should be attention grabbing but also set the listener up for the ride, introducing them in to your world. The second or third track should be the strongest single – not your favorite or most experimental – but the most attention grabbing and accessible track that virtually anyone can revisit. The rest is more about what feels good at the end of Side A and the beginning of Side B. I think it’s easier to get away with the more experimental/darker tracks in Side B. The penultimate track is as important as the closing track. To be honest, we also directly modeled the sequence after Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” in terms of flow and mood.
I was a bit concerned that people would think the album was strictly emo so it made sense to start with Cards as the opener and spread out the more emo/alt rock songs.
The Breakthrough Song
-Yuuki Takita: Which song on this album became a breakthrough for you personally, or which song do you feel shows the most change and evolution? Personally, the moment “Cards On The Table” started playing, an infinite microcosm expanded, and it was a song that made me excited about what kind of music would unfold.
I agree with you! I think Cards is still a breakthrough song for me and I’m always stoked to hear it. Sometimes I find it to be a bit jarring and weird but there’s a confidence and forwardness in the song that I love. It was so fun to overprocess the instruments and just let loose on the production, there’s a lot of instruments and vocals sped up/slowed down. It also fits the nature of the theme of the song – navigating conflict with friends and the never ending cycle of people walking in and out of your life.
Collaboration with External Producer
-Yuuki Takita: This work was created with you serving as producer for a Jay Som project for the first time in a while. At the same time, it’s also the first Jay Som work to team up with external producer Kyle Pulley. How did this collaboration come about? And what kind of discussions took place during your work with him?
Kyle actually entered the album process later on, he was the last producer to join the team. He had been a fan for a while and kindly offered to do production work for me in the past. We eventually met for a session in LA and became buds instantly. He also immediately understood some tracks I was having a hard time with and he contributed key elements to many songs on the record. Kyle went above and beyond to help me reach the finish line with his determination and support, he was also sensitive and respectful of my process. He placed emphasis on hearing more of my vocals, and not being shy with placing more lyrics or melodies in a section I’d otherwise just place an instrumental passage in.
I’d say the same for Joao, I could write pages about him and how he was there every step of the way – writing, demos, tracking, mixing for a month, emotional outbursts, self doubt, celebration and euphoria. I feel incredibly lucky to have had so many cool people helping me get out of my head. It was comforting and almost powerful to feel the impact of having another person creating with you or for you in the same room.
Finding a Place to Belong
A Work That Gives Others a Place to Belong
-Yuuki Takita: The question of “where do I belong within the indie rock ecosystem” is introspective, searching for one’s place and confronting loneliness. I think that in creating this work, you came to reaffirm yourself through relationships with others, and I felt that “Belong” was born from surrendering yourself to relationships with others. In other words, I think that as a result of searching for your own place, it became a work that also gives others a place to belong. This work has definitely become the perfect place for me to belong. We at “BELONG Media” also chose our name with the meaning of wanting to become a place for indie music fans to belong – how consciously did you create this work with the intention of creating a place to belong?
Yes you hit the nail on the head, and this rings true to your question I answered earlier. I’m hoping that anyone who experiences this album can relate to the universal experience of feeling left out, confused, hurt, or scared. I hope they can reflect and remember they can own their own definition of belonging and what it means to them, it’s different for everyone.
Who Should Listen
^^ Similar answer to above but I hope it reaches OG Jay Som fans and I hope it reaches new ones too. I’m 31 now so I hope I can reach and connect to the new generation of young people that may need a soundtrack to their early phase of figuring life out.
Message to Japanese Listeners
-Yuuki Takita: There are many Japanese music fans, including ourselves, who love your music and are very much looking forward to your Japan tour. So finally, could you give a message to Japanese listeners?
I am SO excited to come back to Japan! I think about it every single day, and when someone asks me where I’m most excited to play a show, I always say Japan. It’s a magical, special place and I love how warm and inviting the people are. I can’t wait to play shows there, I find Japanese audiences to be very respectful and supportive. I love my Japanese fans and I’m looking forward to coming back to you!
Thank you for interviewing me. <3 - Melina
Jay Som Album Release
New Album “BELONG”
Release Date: October 10, 2025
Track List:
1. Cards On The Table
2. Float (feat. Jim Adkins)
3. What You Need
4. Appointments
5. Drop A
6. Past Lives (feat. Hayley Williams)
7. D.H.
8. Casino Stars
9. Meander/Sprouting Wings
10. A Million Reasons Why
11. Want It All
View on Amazon
Jay Som Profile
Writer: Yuuki Takita
Born in 1991, from Tomakomai City, Hokkaido, freelance writer. After graduating from the same university as TEAM NACS, he entered a music vocational school and majored in the writer course.
There, he produced three music free papers and conducted everything from artist interviews to editing.
Utilizing this experience, he joined a cross-media music company with both free paper and web platforms, where he worked on writing reviews, editing, and sales.
After leaving, he transitioned to work at a major record shop, where he also wrote disc review articles for the company’s media.
This led him to begin his activities as a freelance music writer. Currently, he works as both a salaried employee dreaming of hosting an outdoor music festival in his hometown of Tomakomai and a music writer.
He enjoys cats, watching movies, and reading. Nana Komatsu and curry & biryani exploration are his lifestyle.
Articles written so far can be found here
Articles written for other media can be found here
Twitter: @takita_funky
- is a music media platform run by BELONG, a Japanese music organization. We publish music articles with a focus on indie music.