Last Updated on 2023-08-20 by a-indie
Lillies and Remains is a unique band that has built a sound influenced by post-punk, neo-acoustic, electronic body music and more. They have released their new album “Superior” after 9 years since their previous album “ROMANTICISM”.
In this interview, we asked him why they took 9 years since his last album and We also asked KENT about his collaboration with PSYSALIA and why “Greatest View” became a masterpiece produced by Maki Fujii.
Also, this interview is posted on the sister site BELONG, and KENT himself answered in Japanese.
Lillies and Remains Interview
Artist: KENT Interviewer: yabori Translation: KENT, A-indie Editors
Reason for forming the band
– I think there are people who will learn about Lillies and Remains for the first time in this interview, so I would like to ask you some basic questions. I heard that the band was formed at Doshisha University in Kyoto. What made you decide to start playing in a band?
I wrote songs and wanted to start a band before entering university, but it wasn’t until I met members who liked the same US indie and UK indie music as me after entering university that we were able to form a band.
– How did you encounter guitarist KAZUYA and begin collaborating with him?
We met on the music-oriented social network MySpace because we both liked the UK post-punk band Neils Children. I had just moved to Tokyo from Kansai and was looking for new members, so I invited Kazuya to join as a guitarist.
– I would like to ask you about the band name Lillies and Remains. You were inspired by the song title “Of Lillies and Remains” by the British post-punk band Bauhaus, right? Why did you decide to use this song title as your band name?
We chose the name “Lillies and Remains” because we thought it would be easier for people to find us when searching, and because fans could easily refer to us as “Lillies” when abbreviating our name.
Of Lilies and Remains
Reason for singing in English
– The only time Lillies and Remains sang in Japanese was when they covered “Pike” by the Japanese techno-pop band Hikashu, as far as I remember. You sing almost all of your songs in English, but what is the reason for this?
I chose to write songs in English because it feels more natural for me to express in English, since I mainly listen to English songs.
About 9 years
– Before I ask you about your latest album “Superior”, I would like to ask you about the nine years since the release of your previous album “ROMANTICISM”. Before the release of “ROMANTICISM”, there were two major turning points: the departure of bassist NARA MINORU and the spread of the coronavirus infection. There was a period when you couldn’t even perform live, but did your attitude towards music or your state of mind change?
Even though I hadn’t released an album for a while, I was really glad that fans continued to come to our gigs. It made me realize that I should keep making music. This motivated me to create a new album as well. So during this 9 years theare are mainly positive changes in myself.
Collaboration with PSYSALIA Hito
– In 2022, there was a release of a collaboration song “before the end” with PSYSALIA Hito (ex.Psysalia Psysalis Psyche), who disbanded in 2012 and reunited. How did this song come about, and what kind of interaction did you have during the collaboration process?
Psysalia Psysalis Psyche was old friends and I was simply happy for their reunion, so I wanted to perform live together from their first gig and do something special, so we created a song together. Toru from PSYSALIA人 composed the music and melody, and I did the arrangement and lyrics. When I arrange, it becomes like Lillies sounds, so I remember we had exchanges to include Shion and Toru’s vocals as much as possible to include PSYSALIA人’s style.
before the end
Superior
– From here, I would like to ask you about your new album “Superior”. When did you have the idea for this album? Also, where did you spend the most time in the process of making songs and recording?
Since about three years ago, there were a few songs such as “Neon Lights,” but when the title track “Superior” was completed at the end of 2022, the concept for the album was fixed. It’s not just for this album, but I think the most time-consuming part is making demos. I place the most importance on arranging the songs.
Lillies and Remains – Superior
The production process of the new album “Superior”
– “Greatest View” and “Falling”, which were the lead songs for “Superior”, were produced by Maki Fujii, who participated in the previous work “Romanticism”. Why did you decide to work with Fujii again? Also, what kind of suggestions did he make for the songs?
Fujii-san always suggests the arrangements that would further improve the quality of the song I created. While there were his various proposals, the one I remember is the suggestion to “reverse the first vocal phrase because the impact of the intro is weak.” I would have never thought of that myself.
Greatest View
Neon Lights
– The MV for “Neon Lights” is beautiful and at the same time sad. The direction of showing street advertisements in Tokyo seems to reflect the contradictions and loneliness of modern society. Please tell us more about the theme behind this video.
I simply requested Kim Yunsoo, the director of the music video, to capture the beautiful night view of Tokyo. The theme is the all-encompassing night of Tokyo, which includes the beauty and sadness that you mentioned, as well as a man who is no longer young but is still drawn to the neon lights and ends up going to a night club.
Lillies and Remains – Neon Lights
The selection criteria for cover songs
– You covered Brian Eno & John Cale’s “Spinning Away”. I think it blends in seamlessly with the original songs, but why did you decide to cover this song? Also, I think Lillies and Remains always choose exquisite cover songs, but what criteria do you use to choose cover songs?
Thank you very much. The reason for covering the song was twofold: firstly, because it’s difficult for me to make a slow tempo song, and secondly, because I always express my favorite artists.
Spinning Away
– The lyrics of “Superior”, which is also the title track, have a very impressive phrase: “A superior life made us colorless”. I heard that KENT is influenced by Japanese literary writers such as Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe, but is there any influence from literary works or other sources on this phrase?
Since I haven’t been reading literature as many lately, I don’t think literature has had any influence on that. I wanted to express that when you become an adult and are able to live your superior life , but the joy of life starts to diminish.
KENT’s view of life and music
– The word “Life” appears about 20 times in the lyrics of this album. I think it’s one of the keywords of this work, but did you have a chance to look back on your own life during these nine years?
There have been many opportunities to look back on my life. What I think about my life now is that I have acquired something like the “Tips” or “Hack” of life through various experiences, but even if I want to use it from now on, I feel it’s too late and the main actors of this era are the next generation
– The lyrics of the final song “New Life” include the word “law of causality”. This is what Buddhism calls karma, I think, but there was also an EP titled “MERU” before. There are words related to Buddhism, but please tell me if there is anything that influenced you from Buddhism.
There are no specific words that I intentionaly added regarding Buddhism, but Buddhism has always been present in my way of life.
– I felt that this album was also made with the flow of songs in mind. Please tell me if there was anything you devised in terms of song order or connection.
Thank you very much. To be honest, I haven’t really paid much attention to the order of the songs. I just wanted to create an album with only good songs, without any rubbish tracks.
– The album cover for “Superior” was designed by Ciaran O’Shea, who is the art director for the British post-punk band The Horrors. The Horrors have a similar musicality to yours, so I think there are many parts that resonate with you, but why did you ask him to do the artwork?
I thought he understood without us needing to explain what kind of music we were making or what we wanted to express, and he would make the best one for us.
The meaning of “Superior”
– When I looked up the word “Superior”, it has a positive meaning of “(quality) high-grade” and a negative meaning of “arrogant”. It’s a title that contains both good and bad meanings and can be interpreted in various ways, but what does this title mean?
Recently, I finally felt like I became an adult, both in a positive and negative way, so I wanted to include that meaning in that title.
A message to listeners
– Who would you like to listen to “Superior”?
We want as many people as possible to listen to our music. Even those who are not familiar with the genre of music we create, we want them to listen because of the quality of the songs.
– It’s been nine years since your last album, so could you please give a message to your listeners who have been waiting for it, including us?
For those who have been waiting, I apologize for the long wait. Finally, I have prepared a song that I can confidently release, and I would be happy if these could accompany you in your future life.
Lillies and Remains album release
4th album “Superior”
Release date: July 12th, 2023 (Wednesday)
Tracklist:
1. Superior
2. Muted
3. Neon Lights
4. Everyone Goes Away In The End
5. Focus On Your Breath
6. Spinning Away
7. Greatest View
8. Falling
9. Pass Me By
10. Passive
11. New Life
Format: Mp3, CD
View on Amazon
Lillies and Remains live information
September 17th, 2023 (Sunday)
Sendai enn 2nd
Open 17:00 / Start 17:30
Live: Lillies and Remains/TBA
September 23rd, 2023 (Saturday)
Fukuoka UTERO
Open 18:00 / Start 18:30
Live: Lillies and Remains/TBA
September 30th, 2023 (Saturday)
Osaka CONPASS
Open 18:00 / Start 18:30
Live: Lillies and Remains/Luby Sparks
October 1st, 2023 (Sunday)
Nagoya Shangri-La
Open 17:00 / Start 17:30
Live: Lillies and Remains/Luby Sparks
One-man performance
October 21st, 2023 (Saturday)
Tokyo • WWW X
Open 18:00 / Start 19:00
Live: Lillies and Remains
Ticket sales start on June 30th, 2023 at 18:00.
※Tickets for Fukuoka and Osaka performances are sold only on eplus.
eplus:
https://eplus.jp/sf/word/0000037667
Ticket Pia:
https://t.pia.jp/pia/artist/artists.do?artistsCd=7A010016
Lawson Ticket:
https://l-tike.com/artist/000000000389640/
Lillies and Remains Profile
“A Japanese rock band formed in Kyoto Prefecture in 2007. The members are KENT (vo,g) and KAZUYA (g). They made their debut with the EP “Moralist S.S.” in 2008. Their sound is characterized by edgy, metallic guitars and nihilistic low vocals, with a fearless sound based on new wave and post-punk. Initially started as a four-piece band, but after member changes, they became a two-piece band. They have also been active overseas, including a UK tour in 2010 and participation in festivals. In addition to consistently releasing works, they are also actively supporting overseas bands.”
Lillies and Remains Representative Songs (Youtube)
- Lillies and Remains – You’re Blind
- Lillies and Remains – Devaloka
- Lillies and Remains – Wreckage
yabori
I am the editor-in-chief of BELONG Media and A-indie, and I have been writing the music blog Timeless Masterpieces, its predecessor, since 2010.
After writing for “only in dreams” hosted by Masafumi Goto, vocalist of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, I studied music business at a music school.
I have been writing articles on Japanese and international music for more than 10 years.
In the past, I was in charge of garage rock, psychedelic rock, and Japanese indie rock at a music CD rental store with over 100,000 album titles.
With these experiences, I have published 26 issues of “BELONG Magazine,” a music magazine with the theme of “Roots Rock.
Currently, I write articles based on SEO strategies I learned at a web production company. I enjoy watching “Kaiun! Nandemo Kanteidan”.
Click here to see the articles I wrote so far.
Twitter: @boriboriyabori
- is a music media platform run by BELONG, a Japanese music organization. We publish music articles with a focus on Asian indie music.