TRICOT: New Era of Music

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Japanese all-girl alternative rock trio Tricot has just launched their third album aptly titled ‘3.’ Fusing stylistically different elements ranging from pop to prog to punk, these girls are onto something here. With European tour announced for August and September, we’ve talked with the band about their work, new album, influences, and future.

Define the mission statement of Tricot as a band.

Motoko “Motifour” Kida: We enjoy ourselves, before entertaining others.

Tell me about the creative process that informed your new, upcoming album 3 and the themes it captures.

Hiromi “hirohiro” Sagane: We recorded it in a single studio session as usual. We didn’t decide the theme beforehand, especially, but just enjoyed writing songs freely. I think that this approach created a more relaxed atmosphere.

What is the message you are trying to send with 3?

Ikkyu Nakajima: Nothing particular, but it would be nice if we could inject a little bit of excitement into the daily lives of the listeners.

How did you document the music while it was being formulated?

Motoko: I always record ideas for new songs and guitar riffs on my iPhone these days. When I want to share it with the rest of the band, I can just play it from my iPhone at the rehearsal studio.

Is the dynamic flow of the pieces carefully crafted?

Motoko: After making the rough arrangement for songs, we usually add lots of delicate details, but in some cases we just choose to give with the bold original composition that came out first.

Describe the approach to recording the album.

Hiromi: This time, we recorded songs sequentially from the demo songs that we had completed. As usual, we played all of them live together and recorded without a metronome or click track.

How long was 3 in the making? 

Ikkyu: We started working on songs last July, then we finished the record in February, so the whole process was about half a year.

Which bands or artists influenced your work on the release?

Motoko: We are always influenced by various artists when we go into recording sessions. I think it’s mainly influenced by the band’s that we’ve had opportunities to share the stage with in Japan.

What is your view on technology in music?

Hiromi: In terms of composition, these days you can record on a PC or interface, or make music by typing, even if you can’t play the instrument. Now it’s natural to expand your reach to streaming services like Apple Music, Youtube, digital download distribution – anytime, anywhere, you can listen to music. It’s very convenient that listening to music is much easier than before, for better or worse.

I think since social networking has become so common, everyone thinks that’s a quick way to convey information to fans. Almost every musician is uploading music and images to the web constantly, and I think it causes an information overload sometimes.

Using new ideas and looking for interesting inspiration are a necessary tool for us to get noticed by as many people as possible and let them listen to our music.

Do you see your music as serving a purpose beyond simply being music?

Ikkyu: I think that it is necessary to live.

What are your plans for the future?

Ikkyu: I think that the pop and alternative music scenes that we’re making right now aren’t yet outstanding. I want Tricot to take the lead and make a new era of music.

3 is out now on Big Scary Monsters (UK/EU) and Topshelf Records (US). Check the poster below for the European tour dates. Follow Tricot on Facebook and visit their official website for more news.

Cover photo by You Ishii

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