Last Updated on 2025-03-30 by a-indie
About the Latest Album “Fable”
-Yuuki Takita:From here, I’d like to ask about your latest album “Fable.” First, could you tell me the reason and meaning behind the title “Fable”? What kind of feeling is reflected in it?
Sahara Grim: Fables are old traditional short stories that convey a moral. When I wrote the songs on the album I was living in the woods of northern california recovering from and processing my chaotic experiences and encounters in the city. During my time in solitude, I wrote many of the songs on this album and was noticing common themes between my life and the themes of these fairybook stories so “Fable” felt like the perfect title for all of these songs that are like short stories. The feeling reflected in it is whimsical and spooky.
About Production with Luke Temple
-Yuuki Takita:This work was produced by Luke Temple, who was the frontman of Here We Go Magic. What ideas and direction did you have when creating this with him?
Sahara Grim: Luke and I created each song to be a world of its own. We wanted to create string arrangements that sounded like music from the movie Fantasia. I knew I wanted whimsical instruments like Flute and Harp to create a fairytale-like setting. As well as tabla to tie in my Indian background.
Luke had an idea to have piano recorded first to create the foundations for the songs and then we added other instruments and produced them from there. This was quite different for me since I always started with guitar or recorded with a full band in the past. As the process developed we discovered we were enjoying creating beats on the synth and then running them through an 8-track cassette machine to give a more analog sound so no real drums ended up on the record which was also new for me.
Luke was really great at creating a clear direction for each song’s vibe. We also had a lot of fun finding different sound effects on synths and his Korg Triton-Rack which had hundreds of sounds to choose from.
About Commitment to Production
-Yuuki Takita:My impression of this work is that it’s a challenging piece that incorporates the diverse music you’ve been exposed to so far—jazz, bossa nova, and world music—into indie rock. Additionally, a feature is that you approach ambient music as well, with a wide range of sounds, but there’s a meticulous and sophisticated quality to each instrument and each note. Because of that, it was very comfortable to listen to at high volume with headphones. What were you conscious of regarding production?
Sahara Grim: I appreciate you saying that! Yes I love ambient music as well, I was very inspired by Alice Coltrane for “You Don’t Need Wings To Fly”. I learned from Luke how important it is to be conscious of space in a mix when producing. I tend to want to add in a bunch of sounds, but he was good at making sure a mix did not get too cluttered, allowing every sound to be intentional and shine. My favorite part of production is capturing the moments that are unrepeatable, that maybe sound imperfect or odd, but these are the magic moments that give character.
About Commitment to Vocal Aspects
-Yuuki Takita:So far I’ve asked about the sound aspect, but I was also able to fully appreciate your charm as a vocalist with a variety of techniques including whispers, high tones, and falsetto. Was there anything you were conscious of regarding the vocal aspect?
Sahara Grim: Yes I am very picky when it comes to my vocals, perhaps overly critical. I’m still working on finding the balance. It’s good to be detailed, but not to a point where you’re overthinking. I wanted to bring in the Indian classical influence on some of the vocals.
Like during the funk section of “Time Wanderer” I was very inspired by the song “Space Talk” by Asha Puthli and then on “Hysteria” the intro vocals are inspired by vocal tones I’ve heard in Indian classical music. Having a background in vocal jazz, I like to play around with different textures and not always trying to sound “good” or “pretty”.
With the time period theme of this album being inspired by the 1930s I was channeling some old time sounds you’d hear on old jazz records, especially on some songs like “Girl in the Ruby Earrings” or “Hysteria”. I was also channeling a vocal style that reminds me of princesses from fairy tale movies at times.
Song That Became a Breakthrough
-Yuuki Takita:Which song in this album became a breakthrough for you, or which song do you feel shows the most change or evolution?
Sahara Grim: Definitely “The Fool”. This song was lost and could easily become corny sounding. For a while we didn’t know what direction the song wanted to go in until we had an idea for a John Lennon type of vibe. We had both returned from traveling in Japan around the same time and were very jetlagged for our first session back together after a month break. In our delirium, “The Fool” unfolded very naturally and is maybe my favorite memory from making the album. You can hear it in the slow junky sound.
I’d also say “Blindfold” changed the most. I was very unsure about the direction of this one and almost cut it from the album, but Luke had a vision to give it a dark sound and I trusted him on it. I’m really glad I did, it’s both one of our favorites on the album.
Message to Listeners
-Yuuki Takita:What kind of people would you like to listen to “Fable”? Or in what kind of situations would you like people to listen to it? If there are any points you want listeners to pay particular attention to in terms of lyrics or sound, please let me know.
Sahara Grim: My music is for anyone it resonates with, no matter what age or background. My music is for the deep listeners, those with big feelings, the ones who don’t fit in, the music nerds, weird girls, those who march to the beat of their own heart, the magic makers, someone with a secret, people who live underground and on the edge of the earth.
“Fable” feels intimate, maybe someone will get the most out of it listening to it alone when life feels confusing. Listen in nature or listen in your bed with all the lights off. Maybe when you’re leaving home for a long journey. Maybe when you’re feeling crazy.
Message to Japanese Listeners
-Yuuki Takita:I believe your music will definitely resonate with Japanese music fans. So, finally, could you give a message to Japanese listeners?
Sahara Grim: Thank you so much, eventually I hope to live and perform in Japan regularly. As someone who has grown up spending so much time there, this is my second home. As my small family there grows older, the life I know and love there grows shorter. My intention is to create music that is uniquely for us and to continue to have a close connection with Japan through music, creating new memories with my listeners for the years to come.
And yuuki, thank you so so much! It was such a pleasure to get to speak with you about my music. I really appreciate all of your insights and thoughtful questions. I would love to connect again in the future 🙂
Sahara Grim Album Release
Album “Fable”
Release Date: February 28, 2025
Tracklist:
1. Solitude
2. Time Wanderer
3. Illusions
4. Blindfold
5. The Red Shoes
6. Hysteria
7. Fruit of the Mind
8. Looking Glass
9. You Don’t Need Wings To Fly
10. The Fool
11. Girl in the Ruby Earrings
Sahara Grim Links
Website Instagram bandcampWriter: Yuuki Takita
Born in 1991, Yuuki Takita is a freelance writer from Tomakomai City, Hokkaido. After graduating from the same university as TEAM NACS, he entered a music vocational school, majoring in writing.
There, he produced three music fanzines, conducting interviews with artists and handling editing.
Utilizing that experience, he joined a cross-music media company with fanzines and a website, where he experienced writing and editing review articles, as well as sales.
After resigning, he changed jobs to become a clerk at a major record store, where he also wrote disc review articles for his own media.
This led him to start working as a freelance music writer. Currently, he is a salaryman and music writer dreaming of holding an outdoor music festival in his hometown of Tomakomai.
He likes cats, watching movies, and reading. Exploring Komatsu Nana and curry & biryani is a lifestyle.
Articles written so far are [here].
Articles written for other media are [here].
Twitter: [@takita_funky]
This should be the complete English translation of the interview, with all the elements included. Let me know if you need anything else!
About BELONG Media/A-indie
BELONG Media is an indie music media outlet that started in 2012. We cover indie music from around the world, including Japan and overseas. In 2021, we appeared as a guest on J-WAVE’s “SONAR MUSIC.” In 2022, we launched “A-indie,” an English-language sister site focusing on Asian music.
- BELONG Media: [https://belongmedia.net/]
- A-indie: [https://a-indie.com/]
- x(BELONG Media): [https://x.com/BELONG_Media]
- x(Jingle Jungle Range Town Project): [https://x.com/JingleJungleRT]
- Instagram: [https://www.instagram.com/belong_media]
- Link List: [https://linktr.ee/belong_media]
- Contact regarding this matter: BELONG Media/A-indie Email: [belongmagazine1967＠gmail.com](Please change “＠” to “@”)
- is a music media platform run by BELONG, a Japanese music organization. We publish music articles with a focus on indie music.