Last Updated on 2025-12-14 by a-indie
Performing in Asia
－Yuuki Takita: Speaking of Lesssugar, you have strong affinity with other Asian indie pop and rock bands, and you performed at music festivals in Taiwan and completed your first tour across seven major Chinese cities from Hong Kong to Beijing. What are your impressions of Asian indie bands, and what did you think after performing locally? I’m also curious about the reactions from local audiences.
Tobita: My impression of indie bands is that they perform naturally without pretense, and even though language isn’t 100 percent understood, there’s so much that connects us, which made me really happy. What I felt performing locally was that reactions to us enjoying ourselves came back more directly than in Japan. They properly pick up on the moments when we feel good. I thought that sensitivity might be sharper than in Japan.
I was also very happy when they shared detailed impressions after the show.
Japanese Community and Bands We Feel Sympathy With
－Yuuki Takita: Please also tell us about the community in Japan. I sense affinity with units and bands like Yutai Communications and Summer Whales. Please tell us about Japanese contemporary bands you’re involved with, or Japanese bands you feel sympathy with.
Meari: tenbin O. We’ve performed together often, and after watching their shows, the four of us are always excited together. Also, group2, where I participated in a featuring. We’ve been listening to them since we started the band, and we love them.
New EP “zzz” Album Title and Theme
－Yuuki Takita: Let’s talk about the EP “zzz,” your new release after a year and a half. First, please tell us in detail about this album title, named with the theme of “one journey through the unconscious” that you want listeners to experience. How did you come up with such a theme? I think it might connect with my impression from watching your first live show—”the comfort of being drawn in by immersing individual listeners through making them listen carefully to your sound while unconsciously making their bodies sway”—which makes me curious.
Meari: “zzz” was one of many title ideas that Koda suggested. xiexie is often called “dream pop,” so at first there was a playful spirit of deliberately twisting that. The EP as a whole touched on personal emotions, memories, and inner warmth like scenes that suddenly float up, so it overlapped with the sensation of unconscious layers appearing like dreams, and we decided on this title.
How the China Tour Experience Influenced the Work
－Yuuki Takita: The materials mention this work was created after experiences like the China tour. What specific experiences were reflected?
Meari: Seeing the audience sway and enjoy themselves during the Asian tour strengthened my desire to create songs that naturally make the body react. The excitement when I put down my guitar and sang was also impressive.
Koda: People’s kindness and communication beyond words
Reflection of Experience and Production Process
－Yuuki Takita: Regarding the reflection of experiences like the China tour, did it end up being reflected as a result, or did you begin EP production wanting to reflect those experiences?
Also, I’m curious about production processes that differed from previous EP works and what discussions were held as production progressed.
Meari: I think the Asian tour experience is reflected in this work as a result. As we toured and spent more time together as four people, conversations about the next work naturally emerged. I think the desire to deliver songs that people could react to physically definitely became stronger. While maintaining xiexie’s characteristic warmth, we focused on songs with simple concepts and sound creation where melody and atmosphere are intuitively conveyed.
Collaboration with Taiwanese Violinist Yin-An Hsu
－Yuuki Takita: Taiwanese violinist Yin-An Hsu participates in “the day,” right? What led to this collaboration, and what chemical changes did Yin-An Hsu’s participation bring?
Meari: The first time was when she came to our Taiwan show and we talked. After learning she was a violinist, I watched her performances on social media. We were saying via DM “it would be nice to work together someday,” and right when we were in production, we had a song using strings, and when she contacted me saying she was coming to Japan, we made the offer. When she actually played, I felt the melancholy that “the day” has suddenly gained depth, bringing life to the song.
Tobita: We happened to have a song where we wanted to add strings, so I thought we’d like her to play and reached out.
At first, we’d made strings temporarily with a soft sound source, so I thought it might not be that different, but it was completely different.
Real strings—the way life enters is totally different. It’s like a different breath was born in the same song, and in a good way, it landed in a completely different place. I was really moved.
Changes in Vocal Expression
－Yuuki Takita: In your previous songs, the vocals had the impression of dissolving into the sound, but in this work, it feels more like the vocals are placed on top of the sound, and the lyrics come through more directly. Is there a difference in your vocal awareness in this work?
Meari: In this work, I was more involved in the lyrics than before. Yamato-kun’s (Koda) lyrics always have such a large scale, with a mythological worldview spread, so I add words with the sensation of placing human warmth and tactile quality there. My consciousness about lyrics has become stronger than before, and I feel that change naturally comes through in the singing.
Expansion of Psychedelia and Breakthrough
－Yuuki Takita: The expansion of psychedelia in this work was impressively striking. Which song became a breakthrough or which song feels most changed for the band? Please tell us the reason too. If there isn’t one, please tell us which song feels most personal.
Meari: “innocence” feels like the most straightforward song we’ve had in xiexie so far. When we placed this song in the center, I felt all four of us naturally resonated with some personal part of ourselves. Including how the vocals present themselves, I think it was good and fresh that we could create such a straightforward song as xiexie.
Tobita: Going around the China tour and having many people watch our live shows, the feeling naturally emerged that it would be nice to have a song everyone could naturally sing together.
The one that took shape most straightforwardly might be “the day.”
Message to Listeners and How to Listen to the Work
－Yuuki Takita: What kind of people do you want to listen to “zzz”? Or in what situations do you want it to be heard?
Meari: I want to be an existence that stays in people’s pockets. Something you can quietly take out and listen to while traveling.
Even while working at home. People often say it “makes them sleepy” (laughs), but if that makes their heart a little calmer, that would make me happiest.
Tobita: We’re making it so it works when you’re working at home—we’re a rock band, but you can enjoy it even without live sound quality. People say there’s quite a gap between our live shows and recordings, but with recordings we purposely focus on whether it feels good when you listen alone at home. We especially valued that this time.
Future Prospects
－Yuuki Takita: xiexie has recently expanded activities from Japan to Asia. Please tell us about future prospects if you have any. Festivals you’re aiming for, or what kind of work you want to create next—I’d like to know.
Meari: About half of our listeners are from overseas, so we want to perform live in more countries and deliver our recordings widely. We also want to evolve our live shows more. Someday we want to do European and American tours and festivals too.
Tobita: We want to be a band that expresses both experimental and pop aspects. We’ll express our wide range even more going forward, doing the pop parts carefully as pop while pushing experimental elements even stronger. That range is what makes xiexie xiexie.
Message to Fans
－Yuuki Takita: You have a solo show scheduled for next year that fans are looking forward to. Also, xiexie has many fans in Asia. Finally, please give them a message.
Meari: I’m truly happy to deliver new recordings after about a year and a half. I hope everyone is doing well, and I’d be happy if you continue to keep xiexie’s music in your pocket. Let’s meet again at live shows~~☆彡
xiexie Album Release
2nd Album “zzz”
Release Date: December 12, 2025 (Fri) CD and Digital, February 11, 2026 (Wed) LP
Price: CD ¥2500 (tax included), LP ¥4500 (tax included)
Track List:
1. sleeping in my car
2. alien lll
3. ocean
4. innocence
5. the day
6. homeland
7. futomani (CD and Vinyl Bonus Track)
View CD on Amazon
View LP on Amazon
xiexie Solo Show Details
Event Name: xiexie “zzz” Release Show ‒ OBE (Solo Show)
Date: February 10, 2026 (Tue)
Doors and Showtime: 19:00, 19:30
Venue: Tokyo, Aoyama, Tsukimiru Kimi Omou
Performance: xiexie
Tickets: ¥3850 (tax included plus 1 drink)
Official Pre-sale: November 22, 2025 (Sat) 10:00 AM to December 7, 2025 (Sun) 11:59 PM
General Sale Date: January 10, 2026 (Sat) 10:00 AM onward
e+ https://eplus.jp/sf/detail/4422780001-P0030001
xiexie Band Profile
xiexie is a four-piece indie band formed in Tokyo in January 2020. Members consist of Meari (Vo., Gt.), Yamato Koda (Gt.), Kai Hiraki (Ba.), and Koichi Tobita (Dr.). They released their debut EP “XIEXIE” in 2021, attracting attention with their signature song “da da.” They established a unique style combining psychedelic and dreamy sounds reminiscent of US indie and Asian indie with catchy Japanese vocals. In 2022, they performed at FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’s ROOKIE A GO GO and gained attention in Asia following their performance at Taiwan’s music festival “Vagabond Festival ’23.” In June 2024, they released their long-awaited 1st album “wellwell,” which was selected for “KEXP DJs Top Albums of 2024” chosen by regular DJs at Seattle’s radio station KEXP. That year, they successfully completed a tour across seven cities in mainland China and Hong Kong, and in summer 2025 performed at China’s “Chengdu International Youth Music Festival,” gaining passionate support throughout Asia beyond Japan’s borders.
Writer: Yuuki Takita
Born in 1991, a freelance writer from Tomakomai, Hokkaido. 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, conducting everything from artist interviews to editing.
Leveraging that experience, he joined a cross-media music company with free papers and web publications, where he experienced writing review articles, editing, and sales.
After leaving, he changed careers to a major record shop employee and also wrote disc review articles for the company’s publication.
This became the catalyst for starting activities as a freelance music writer. Currently, he is a salaried worker and music writer who dreams of holding an outdoor music festival in his hometown of Tomakomai.
He enjoys cats, watching movies, and reading. Nana Komatsu and exploring curry and biryani are his lifestyle.
Articles written so far are here
Articles written for other media are here
Twitter: @takita_funky
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