Releasing new songs after the tour to connect their works of the present and future!

After the completion of [TOUR 2008 L’7 ~Trans ASIA via PARIS~] which spanned seven great cities including Shanghai and Paris, L’Arc~en~Ciel’s new single [NEXUS 4/SHINE] has arrived. This world renowned rock band wants to share the sensation.

This new song’s title is tied to it’s lyrical worldview.

-First comes NEXUS 4. What sort image did you have in mind while making it?
tetsu: At that point in my schedule, I had to make five songs to submit for KISS, and this is the first one I came up with. Like bang, it was really simple.

-I think the song feels like a dash, like the melody is sprinting right across.
tetsu: I didn’t do it consciously, but that sounds about right. It’s the first song I wrote, so of course it feels like the way it was made… That day, I wrote “Sunadokei” at the same time, so to me they balance each other out.

-I see. The guitar solo has quite a zing to it, too.
ken: The guitar… As soon as I could make out the shape of the song, I put everything into it! You know. BAM! Like that. One time, I was making a demo tape and I did the guitar solo for it, but then the length of the solo got changed and then when I played it again it didn’t sound the same, but I really wanted it to be just like that demo. I guess it had a different feeling to it (laughs).

-The word NEXUS means a bond, a connection, or something along those lines. I suppose that the “4” at the end represents the members of L’Arc~en~Ciel?
hyde : Wow, that’s clever!

-Er, I didn’t think it could be far-fetched (laughs).
hyde: Well yeah, that’s what the 4 means. There’s four of us so the song is 4. NEXUS though… It’s kind of embarrassing to say it, but it’s the name of a robot.

Songwriting goes hand in hand with solo work

– Now, about SHINE. The melody creates a strong impression of something flowing beautifully. Also, the phrase “I want to shine on you” has warmth to it.
hyde: Indeed… It’s actually something I think to myself all the time, but not really in the sense that I want to say it to someone else. It’s more like, for a diary or something.

-yukihiro-san, how did you approach this song?
yukihiro: Hmm, I can’t remember. …When I heard the song was getting released, like properly, I said “But I haven’t recorded a good drum take yet!” I thought we only had the demo, I couldn’t remember playing it for real or recording it at all (laughs). But I’m glad I didn’t have to record it again, I guess (laughs). That’s kind of familiar.

-How about you, tetsu-san?
tetsu : I said that if yukkie was going to redo his part, then I would redo my bass part too, but in the end we didn’t have to re-record anything (laughs). Nah, I really don’t know when we recorded it. I guess it must really be a while ago, and it must have gone smoothly.

-Could you tell us a little something about future developments?
ken: Hmm… For starters, the song we recorded this weekend is totally awesome. Also, some of us are doing solos, others are taking a break. And, you want to know about the future?

-That’s right.
ken : I dunno (laughs). Well, just wait a little while and see! I think someone else knows a bit more than I do.
hyde: Writing songs for L’Arc~en~Ciel goes hand in hand with doing solo work, and we have releases planned… So I don’t think it’s going to be all that different, actually.
tetsu: I agree. I don’t think we’ll be able to have any lives for a while, but being a band isn’t only about lives. We have things to do besides lives, so you won’t even notice the time go by!

Interview by Hayashi Tomoyuki
Translated by Natalie Arnold.