Vaundy on New Album ‘replica’ & Wanting to Create the Newest Type of Pop Music: Interview

Vaundy has recently released his second album, replica. His first album in three years, replica‘s 35 songs span two discs (15 songs on Disc 1 and 20 songs on Disc 2). Disc 1, which includes “replica versions” of “Backlight” and “Kaiju no Hanauta,” is a crystallization of Vaundy’s current sound. Disc 2, on the other hand, contains all of the singles Vaundy has released over the past three years, leading up to this album release, presented in the order in which they were released.

Vaundy graduated from university this spring, and Billboard Japan talked to him about the album, which he calls his “graduation project.”

It’s been roughly three years since your first full album, strobo. Was there some specific reason for this timing?

Actually, it’s part of my graduation project. I started working on the album around June of last year, but I also had a tour and a few collaborations at the end of the year, so I just didn’t make much progress on my songwriting. That’s why it’s taken me over a year to release the album.

Replica ended up being a huge double album with 35 songs.

Originally, I wasn’t planning on creating a Disc 2. I was going to include my existing songs as “replica versions” on Disc 1. But, it just wasn’t possible. Disc 1 is the real album. Disc 2 is a collection of singles, which is included as kind of a bonus. Disc 2 is in the order of my releases, so I think if you listen to the two albums, you’ll hear how much I’ve grown since strobo.

Is there a unifying concept behind Disc 1? Or is it like strobo, a playlist that gives a snapshot of Vaundy in the here and now?

Both. I knew it would be a playlist-like album. I spent so long on the mastering I thought my ears were going to give out (laughs). But Disc 1 includes the sound effect tracks “Audio 007,” “Audio 006,” and “Audio 008,” so I think it also expresses a unified aesthetic. The songs are all different, but the listener will feel like they’re all somehow part of the same world. I think the album’s more consistent than strobo.

Could you explain what you mean by consistent?

I think it’s expressed by the title, replica. The works that people think of as being originals are, essentially, the products of generations of replication, right? Just like the Earth is a giant sphere, covered by different strata, with music, as well, you have the same layers of history. Layers like music theory, or knowing that a song sounds good sung in a certain way, or knowing that some melody will sound beautiful paired with a certain chord. Together, these build up into a huge ball, forming the music. I don’t know exactly how big it is, but it’s big enough that if you took a drill and started digging down into it, you’d find various layers — various replicas — as you dug. When creating replica, I felt like I was standing on the surface of that giant ball, and that’s what the titular track is about.

So the reason that there’s so much variety in the album is that you’re standing there on this planet of music, digging down in different directions, through different musical strata.

I mean, that’s what the word “digging” originally meant, right? I love David Bowie, so first I dig down to David Bowie. In doing so, I pass by other people who love David Bowie. And then I dig beyond David Bowie, and I see the artists that David Bowie was looking at. On this album, each song is like that. In that sense, I’d agree that the album has songs that come from all kinds of different directions. To be honest, now, with the album all finished, I can’t remember where I was digging. When I’m digging through references, I listen to all kinds of music, so the tunnels I dig might be filled with twists and turns.

And in addition to that, you have your own originality.

I hope that comes across. The basic approach is to copy something, to sketch something out. People will tell me that songs I write sound like this song or that song, but I don’t know the songs they’re talking about at all. And then I’ve gone and listened to the songs and thought “man, that does sound similar.” But, at the same time, that means that my musical choices weren’t wrong. All I did was put what I thought was the best-fitting melody line over a chord progression.

The lyrics of “NEO JAPAN” are critical of society. Do you see connecting to society through your music to be an important part of your activities as an artist?

Yes, very important. I think of replica as being pop. The aesthetics of pop aren’t simply about conveying simple messages, but about conveying complex messages in easy-to-understand ways. And, what’s more, in a way that sticks with you. For example, consider gummy candies. I’m sure at the start, nobody understood them. But then they made them into animal shapes and other everyday shapes, so people wanted to try them out. I think that’s why Haribo’s been in business for over a century. When you have these replica-like elements, which have been steadily stacking up over time, that’s pop. I think my new album really embodies this idea. It’s a fresh, new batch of replicas.

So it’s the newest form of pop music, part of an unbroken chain through the years.

That’s why reflecting modern times is so important. Pop consists of following the pattern of these replicas that have stacked up over time, but it’s always being updated. What I want to do is create the newest type of pop music. However, my timing is often off. A good number of my singles are songs I wrote one or two years ago. For example, “Carnival” feels kind of old to me.

“Backlight” is a cover of music you wrote yourself for another artist, and the arrangement is really tight. The guitars are credited to TK from Ling tosite sigure. What kind of interaction was there between you and TK?

I met him once and shared my vision for the song, and I used what he came up with, just as it was. I only reach out to people that I trust 100%. I knew that he was the one of the people who established what I call “grotesque pop” — music like “unravel” from Tokyo Ghoul. For me, he’s really a standout artist.

Disc 2 ends with “Todome no ichigeki feat. Cory Wong.” This is the ending song to season 2 of the TV anime SPY x FAMILY. What aspects of SPY x FAMILY were you trying to express through the song?

It’s about Yor’s struggles. Season 2 is when the story starts to look at what she’s going through — what kind of assassin she wants to be, whether or not she should focus on being a mother. I thought season 2 was the most serious, really focusing on what family is about. That’s why I thought it would be best not to write a song that’s overly happy. I tried to reflect that wistfulness, and it ended up having a city pop feel.

What led you to having Cory Wong make a guest appearance on the song?

I just wanted to meet him and work with him. I knew he’d understand the atmosphere of the song better than anyone and his guitar part would be perfect. He’s got a real revival feel, and he understands what makes Japanese pop appealing, plus he’s very technical. I could have played the guitar part myself, but I just knew, intuitively, that Cory would make the song even better. And it turned out really wonderful. He’s amazing.

Now that the album is finished, what direction are you going to be taking in the future? Is there any music that you find yourself interested in or drawn to now?

Next, I want to create warmer music with a more human touch. Conceptually, I’m thinking like Haruomi Hosono, but the kinds of songs he writes are hard to create even if you try. Following replica, I’d like to focus on themes like “warmth.”

What led you to want to make that kind of theme the theme of your music?

I think warmth and pain are the heart of pop. You can’t just make music haphazardly. These feelings just come out in the music. They connect directly to the lyrics and the chord progressions. I want to create songs that help cultivate an appreciation of beauty, both for myself as a musician and for the people who listen to my music. When I’m old and gray, the kids who complain about it can just be better than me. I think the keys are always in the hands of the children.

So it’s like making music as the foundation for future generations?

Right. An old man’s job is to build the foundations. That’s why I’m saying we’re replicas. A few years from now, listening back on this album, people may think it’s garbage. But as long as we’ve evolved in the meantime, that’s fine. I think that, at the very least, I’ve created an album that is a sign of better things to come. I did all that I could. I hope the people who listen to my music enjoy the fact that I’m alive. I hope they enjoy Vaundy, this main character that lives inside me and that I control.