RINA's "Kiss from the darkness" Lyrics Essays

First Essay: "Masterpiece"


It's very important that the gasoline called "excitement" is stored in your heart.

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On February 12, SCANDAL will be releasing Kiss from the darkness, their first album from their private imprint label "her." The album will contain 11 songs. Vocalist HARUNA talked about how this work is a very ambitious one for them: "We have confidence in it. It's seriously the best thing we could make. Our four creative energies are exploding."

Today's song column is the first of three lyrics essays that will be posted weekly from drummer RINA, who has written the lyrics for many of their songs! What we had her talk about are her feelings towards "her," the private label started by the girls; and how their song "Masterpiece" reflects those feelings. We recommend it to those who are excited about new challenges in front of them! Please enjoy both the essay and the lyrics!

～First Lyrics Essay: "Masterpiece"～

2019, spring.
A few months removed from the 10th anniversary of our major label debut, we established and started up our private imprint label called "her." I'm sure that there are many people who don't really understand what "private imprint label" means when they hear it. To put it simply, it's our new place for making and dispatching music.

We named our label "her" because we thought it'd be nice if you'd immediately understand that it's related to women. We never thought this day would come, and although it was ambiguous what changes would occur, we were simply excited to have created an atelier just for us.

When making things such as music that are invisible and cannot be physically touched, it's very important that the gasoline called "excitement" is stored in your heart. The more there is, the more it feels like you can run further. The good/bad things along the way will make your heart sway, which will then become a melody or lyric.

You refill the gas and stand in front of a brand new road. Without having a set destination, you go, "So where shall we head to now?" The song we wrote at that time was "Masterpiece."

Our feelings were overflowing and it took quite a bit of time to complete the song, but I think we were able to finish up an exhilarating and punky "starting-over song" that's very frank and doesn't give you time to waver.
―――Our second chapter had begun. That's what it felt like.

It's been a year since then, and we're making music feeling more free than ever before. We were freed from curses we had cast on ourselves―our way of thinking that SCANDAL needs to be a certain way, or rules for production―without realizing it.

Then, in regards to launching our label, more musicians were interested in it than we expected. We're happy that it was talked about several times at places such as the backstages of festivals. One musician stated, "It feels like the blood's been flowing ever since you started 'her.'"

If you listen to this song when you feel unsure about something, you feel like you can remember the day when you became stronger and said to yourself, "I want to keep being an adult who always chooses to take on challenges without fear."

Accepting all that has happened and will happen, we stand on stage in all our frankness. I'd like to think that every day was a masterpiece. A masterpiece is a stand that replenishes excitement.

RINA's "Kiss from the darkness" Lyrics Essays

Second Essay: "A.M.D.K.J."


I don't want things to happen like humor getting banned due to a mistake

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On February 12, SCANDAL released Kiss from the darkness, their first album from their private imprint label "her." The album contains 11 songs. Vocalist HARUNA talked about how this work is a very ambitious one for them: "We have confidence in it. It's seriously the best thing we could make. Our four creative energies are exploding."

Today's song column is the second of three lyrics essays posted weekly from drummer RINA, who has written the lyrics for many of their songs! She will be talking about "A.M.D.K.J." this time. She spelled out her feelings after watching a certain topic on the news, and then reaffirmed her own intentions.

～Second Lyrics Essay: "A.M.D.K.J."～

All kinds of information flow forth from the TV or online news every day. Also among them are shocking stories that always make you feel helpless.

During one program, tarento and commentators were discussing artists and controversial ads that discriminated against women. I didn't particularly feel put off by the ad, but I'm sure there were those who were hurt by it due to their circumstances, experiences, standpoints, etc. That I could very much understand.

As the discussion was in its final heated stage, a female commentator declared, "I don't understand the art world, and I just cannot understand why the artist made an ad like that." That firm statement made them go, "Yeah," and the conversation stopped. It felt like they just shut down the artist [and their opinions].

Perhaps this woman was one of those who were hurt by seeing the ad in question. However, if you deny something without trying to understand what you don't know, it's such a waste.

Whenever we make something new—such as a song, CD cover, promo pictures—there are times when we feel like going on the attack at the last minute, knowing that likes and dislikes are divided. It's not that you want to throw a fast ball, but there are times when you want to try expressing something you haven't tried before. That's what came to mind after watching that news program.

Positive energy is what will destroy a beautified image with realism, and it'll add exciting colors to your everyday life. Better, more fun, new—it seems like a cluster of feelings.

For "A.M.D.K.J.", I think the "anger" part of my emotions was able to take shape for the first time. It feels like I'm exploding calmly.

It felt like my emotions, whether big or small, that should be commonplace for everyone, were finally all present. Getting angry means you have a lot of physical strength, and feelings are difficult to spring up if you don't have something you truly cherish. When my reality, which consisted of only joy and sadness, wasn't enough, I was able to write this song and it refreshed me.

I want this to be a world where everyone lives easy lives and people are able to accept differences by expanding their scopes of compliance. I don't want things to happen like humor getting banned due to a mistake.

thoseguiltyeyes wrote:IMO, I think what RINA's getting at is that she probably felt that even though the female commentator shared her opinion knowing that there will be people that agree and as well as some who disagree, she was completely shut down by the others who didn't say anything in response to her statement.

RINA empathized with that, saying that she knows that when SCANDAL puts out something new that they've never tried before or is different, there will be fans who like it as well as those who dislike it. Those who dislike it sometimes just completely dismiss the new thing without really trying to understand it. I think that's why she felt anger.

There, ever deeper
See it yourself and touch it
I'm sick of this world
Where everyone acts so selfish
The truth is colorless and transparent
And just a little cold

RINA's "Kiss from the darkness" Lyrics Essays

Third Essay: "Tsuki"

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On February 12, SCANDAL released Kiss from the darkness, their first album from their private imprint label "her." The album contains 11 songs. Vocalist HARUNA talked about how this work is a very ambitious one for them: "We have confidence in it. It's seriously the best thing we could make. Our four creative energies are exploding."

Today's song column is the last of three lyrics essays posted weekly from drummer RINA, who has written the lyrics for many of their songs! It is about the song "Tsuki" (月; Moon) on the album. Please read it while thinking of that special someone you no longer were able to see after growing up.

～Third Lyrics Essay: "Tsuki"～

On days you're able to return home from work early, you're happy to be able to eat dinner at home. You continue watching a drama on Netflix and then take a nice, long bath. Time passes by in the blink of an eye, and before you know it it's somehow the next day. You crawl into bed with a small sense of accomplishment and fatigue after finishing the day.

I like the feeling of having time completely to yourself late at night. Speaking of which, I've always felt more like a night person. Though the scenery as seen from the window may change, the quiet sky of a hometown with nothing to obstruct the view, as well as the narrow sky of Tokyo with the gaps filled between buildings are both good.

You think about tomorrow as you set your alarm. There are also times when someone vaguely comes to mind for no particular reason. After getting to release many love songs with an everyday life feel to them, the number of people writing to us about love or everyday life via fan letters or social media increased. Each time that happens, it makes us happy to realize that our music has found its way into someone's life.

The song "Tsuki" is the last song on our album Kiss from the darkness. Translating the title directly into Japanese would be "暗闇からのキス" (kurayami kara no kisu), and the image attached to the title is "Everything will surely work out someday, because tomorrow will come." We had an idea called "Happiness from the darkness" before that. In other words, that's the feeling we had.

When you can't make a promise as to when you'll next see the person you thought you'd always be able to see, you suddenly feel anxious as though you were suddenly left alone. Although you try to catch the premonition hanging in the air and mentally prepare yourself, "Farewell" suddenly comes around for both of you. When that happens, the regrets you have of, "Ah, I wish I had done this..." turn into tears and spill over. You can't do anything as you're surrounded by memories cascading into your room.

That said, I think that reminiscing as soon as possible without remorse would dilute even the fun memories you have with them. They were someone special to you because you both lived through both good and bad days together. That's why you don't have to forget anything. It's okay to stop and cry. If you can both reach a point where you are glad to have known each other while having a hole like the moon floating in your hearts, that's proof that you truly cherished and cared for one another.

The number of people you'd like to see but can't after growing up may grow, but tomorrow will come to an end no matter what, and everything should be manageable. For example, even if you can't see a way out from your negative feelings now, they won't last forever. Even on a sentimental night, the moonlight simply glows as usual—that is what the song is about.