Japan is the home of Perfume. After venturing out into the rest of the world and experiencing its wild enthusiasm for them firsthand, what feelings have the girls carried back into their first album in two years? Moreover, what’s the meaning behind the leveled-up trio’s soon-to-be-unveiled LEVEL3?
This summer, Perfume threw themselves into an earnest tour through Germany, England, and France, receiving rave reviews as a brand-new, one-of-a-kind cultural breakthrough. Surely the girls themselves have also taken a deep interest in music and its fascinating ability to cross over even language barriers with ease. Perfume’s new album LEVEL3 has now been completed, and in it is everything you need to know about the newest level they’ve reached.
—— Did you have any requests for the making of the album? Nocchi: Yes. We told Nakata-san about the dome tour we’re planning for the end of the year and said we wanted songs that would shine in a live setting.
—— When did you decide the title? Kashiyuka: We’d all tried and tried to share ideas since the very first meeting, but nothing really hit home. We even talked about it during our recording sessions after that, but... Nocchi: We weren’t coming up with anything, and eventually, it got pushed back until the last day of recording. Kashiyuka: Nakata-san had been wandering aimlessly around the studio deep in thought when he suggested, “What about ‘LEVEL3’?” The moment he said that, we were all like, “That’s it!” Nocchi: It felt like, “We got it!” My heart kinda raced.
—— What meaning does that title have for you? A~chan: That if there are stages to what we’re doing, I’d like for us to be at around level 3. It’s like, “We’ve still got a ways to go. See, we’re only on level 3 yet!”
—— Were your tours around Asia and Europe part of your “level up”? Kashiyuka: The feeling of “love” alone can break down any language barrier. Experiencing that was a big step for us. Nocchi: I was struck by how the sense of unity we felt with our foreign audiences was the same as what we’ve felt in Japan. It was like everything was connected. A~chan: Music really is amazing! With so many people who love us out there, it made me think that I’d like to keep putting more things that they’d find cool into the world. What makes me the happiest right now is being able to tell people in Japan, “We’ve finally finished the album!”
—— Are there also things that haven’t changed? Kashiyuka: Our environment may change, but the connection between the three of us and Nakata-san never will. I think that’s a really essential point. Nakata-san said so himself: “The strength of us always working together isn’t simply in going at it full-force, but our ability to throw a curveball. That kind of playing around is interesting to me.”
—— Interesting. I felt that sense of “play” he described in the lead track “1mm.” It’s certainly not a showy type of song. A~chan: You’re right. It’s more detached. Nocchi: It is an encouraging song, but definitely not straightforwardly so. It’s sort of like a song that thrusts the harshness of reality in your face. A~chan: I think the part [in the chorus] where all these unconnected words pop up in a row is showing the protagonist’s impatient feelings at being unable to escape reality. Kashiyuka: I feel like it’s about how everyone is getting through life while struggling with their own personal risks.
—— It’s a harsh song, isn’t it? A~chan: In the end, “1mm” became the lead track, but we and our staff actually worried a lot over which to make the promotional song. Since we didn’t decide the album title and then base the work around that, we really struggled to narrow it down to just one to represent it with. But that’s part of what makes this the current Perfume’s original album. The title itself could’ve even been “Original Album.” I’ve started to feel like we don’t need to have a fixed image so much.
—— It has a presence that comes across already without having to spell it out. Maybe that stage is your “level 3.” A~chan: Oh, you might be right!
—— The album art is also very intricate and beautiful. This time, it seems you’ll even be releasing local editions overseas. Nocchi: I feel this way about the music I buy, but when you own the record, your feelings toward it become stronger. I’m excited wondering if this will make people feel closer to us. How the song titles will be written in each country also has me really curious. A~chan: Nakata-san has talked about this as well, but by listening to an album in its original track order without skipping around and while savoring the length of those songs themselves, like how you’d listen to an LP, I think you can see and feel things you hadn’t before. The inspiration you get from that might go on to be linked to some kind of dream. I hope it can come to grow like that for someone.
—— I’m looking forward to your tour of the two big domes at the end of this year as well. Kashiyuka: We’ve been gaining new technological power having to do with our stage production, so I think it’ll be different from the last time we did Tokyo Dome for sure. With all the possibilities that have become available to us, there are more and more things we’d like to challenge. Nocchi: I was so wrapped up in everything that I don’t remember much of our last time at Tokyo Dome at all, so when we stand there again, I want to experience it as fully as I can and have a blast. By all means, please look forward to it!
<aside> 📎 Fujii Miho for bounce vol. 359 (published in print September 25; online, October 2, 2013)
</aside>