‘SAKAMOTO DAYS’ Opener ‘Method’ & Current Mindset

Japanese alternative rock band Kroi dropped a new single called “Method” on July 16. Both songs on the set — the title track being featured as the opening theme song for the anime series SAKAMOTO DAYS, and “Clay” — are powerful numbers showcasing the five-man band’s essence and future direction.

The members sat down with Billboard Japan to open up about the genre-bending band’s current mode as it continually evolves.

Kroi has been actively performing outside of Japan in recent years. Most recently, you performed at The Great Escape in Brighton, England in May, and during your Unspoil tour last year, you did a show in Taipei. Were there any takeaways from your experiences overseas?

Masanori Seki (Ba.): We want to be seen by all kinds of audiences in all kinds of places. Outside of Japan, we’ve had opportunities to perform in Taiwan, South Korea, the U.S. and the U.K. so far, and personally, the audience in South Korea left the biggest impression. The culture of concert-viewing over there is totally different from Japan. Some people had made banners and waved them during the show, and there were circle pits during our songs, which would be unthinkable back home. People were enjoying themselves like they considered concerts as places to party. That was a culture shock for me.

Yuki Hasebe (Gt.): This isn’t limited to live shows, but when I go abroad and speak with the people over there, there are many moments when they judge something by whether it’s “good or bad” and not “skilled or inept.” Like, “Well, they it messed up but it has a great vibe, so we’ll use it.” I find that way of thinking exciting and it’s interesting to me.

Daiki Chiba (Key.): I imagine there are differences between countries in the recording process as well. The music probably reflects the differences in the way people live and the basic lifestyles of each place. And how something fits depends on the person. The studio we used in the U.K. was the same one used by (Japanese guitarist) Tomoyasu Hotei. Apparently he records a lot over there, and I think that’s partly because the sound is good, and partly because he’s comfortable with the way things are done.

Hidetomo Masuda (Dr.): We did some recording in the U.K. with a producer present. In Japan, recording is like “making a fair copy,” but in the U.K., it was like we were writing the song together while recording. That was a new experience. It was more proactive and fun than how it’s done in Japan, and I wanted to apply it back home.

Uchida-san, do you have any thoughts on singing in places where the language is different?

Leo Uchida (Vo.): It feels like I’m getting closer to the style I’m aiming for. Of course when I write lyrics, I focus on the strength of the words, but there’s a part of me that wants to achieve something like the jolt I got out of the Western music I heard back in junior high. Even if there’s a language barrier, I want to communicate with people who don’t understand the words through sound, vibes, and groove. When we perform live in a country where we don’t speak the local language, it gets close to that feeling. It’s very fundamental. It feels more like we’re “doing music.” When I sing with an emphasis on the lyrics, I become more conscious of the message of the work, but when we perform live in a place where there’s a language barrier, it becomes this act of self-introduction through sound, like, “This is what our band is like.” That’s fun to do.

It’s a more fundamental way of communication.

Uchida: I feel the strength of music directly. That feeling of being able to connect with each other through sound. When I get a strong reaction from the audience, I feel that they probably understand us. I’m blown away each time because we’re communicating through music even though we don’t understand each other’s languages.

The band released its latest single “Method” on July 16. Both the title track and the accompanying song, “Clay,” feel important in that they represent new aspects of the band’s creativity. I’d like to ask you about “Method,” the opener for the anime series SAKAMOTO DAYS. Mr. Uchida, you once said that when writing songs that will accompany other works, you try to find overlapping aspects between that work and Kroi’s expressions. What was the overlap between SAKAMOTO DAYS and the band?

Uchida: The song is for SAKAMOTO DAYS’ second season, the “Death Row Arc” where the battles intensify and the contrast between the daily scenes and battle scenes becomes more pronounced. There’s this character named Shin Asakura, and a scene where he develops a new level of power. This was during battle, and when I saw that, I thought there are times we also feel something like that and get in the zone when we’re doing something, like during a live performance or while writing a song. For example, if I haven’t written songs for a while, I forget how to write them, and can’t get into that zone right away. Then when I go, “I’ll just keep moving my hands for now,” there are times when that level of concentration suddenly kicks in and it feels like I can keep writing forever. When performing live, no matter how well I warm up my throat, it feels like my awareness is above my head in the beginning, you know what I mean? Like I’m pulling back a bit.