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The day before Sora Tob Sakana performed their farewell show on Sunday, Sep. 6, the idol group’s chief producer Yoshimasa Terui dug up an old photo from 2015 of the release day of their first single, “Yozora Wo Zenbu.” The tag line written by the Tower Records staff captured the group’s unique aesthetic—“an underwater-like world and a dreamy, surreal atmosphere”—and the copy concluded with an apt RIYL: “for fans of post-rock/electronica, this is the ultimate single for you.” He retweeted the pic in 2020 to add, “I don’t know if we shook up the idol scene”—in humble reference to the Tower copy—“but those were happy days.”

If Sora Tob Sakana left little impact during the six years together as an idol group, it’s because their style was so singular and only few groups stood out as a close peer. They represented one of the finest examples of idol groups experimenting with outre genres during the last decade. While importing outside genres itself was not a new concept, it was their math-rock-inspired sound brought by Terui that really made Sakana a one-of-a-kind act. The few commercial offers of anime tie-ins did not water down their complex style in the slightest. If anything, it gave them an excuse to indulge more in their electronic-pop side of their music.

For all the talents in the music department, Terui molded the music to first suit the very idols that made up Sora Tob Sakana with the final trio consisting of Natsuka Teraguchi, Fuuka Kanzaki, and Mana Yamazaki. “The girls are down to earth; they’re not go-getters,” Terui said in 2018 on the music show J-Melo. “If they can be themselves in that world, it makes for good entertainment.” Indeed, the girls were more meek and visibly bashful than the typical idol, but their soft-spoken personality complemented the fantastical music. The pureness of the idols emphasized the naive perspectives highlighted in the lyrics. They invited you to explore this complex music with them, who sounded as though they were discovering every fine point in real time.

As the group’s musical explorations started to grow more exciting as they introduced more new elements, Sora Tob Sakana announced on May 2020 about their plans to disband. The reason seemed simple: the idols talked among themselves about their future and decided to pursue other things. “There were tough times working with more and more people, and if I think about it, maybe that was when I started to think a little differently about my time as an idol. I get really nervous very easily, and I’m weak under pressure,” Teraguchi wrote on her Instagram. It’s bittersweet to see reality cut into the most escapist of idol groups, but perhaps it’s the best for everyone involved.

In anticipation of their break-up, and to celebrate the life of a memorable idol group, friends Ryo and Fabricio talked all about Sora Tob Sakana. We talked about their music, their discography from beginning to end, and what made the group so special to have around. Their catalog is incomplete on Spotify, but please consult their official YouTube page for their recent singles.

Ryo writes about music online. They have a newsletter called This Side of Japan about Japanese music, new and old. They’re on Twitter.

Fabricio is an idol fan who mostly focuses on Hello! Project and groups like Negicco and Caeca. He tweets about their activities on Twitter from time to time.

(L-R: Natsuka Teraguchi, Fuuka Kanzaki, Mana Yamazaki)

Ryo: Whenever I want to make an elevator pitch for Sora Tob Sakana to someone who might not be into idol songs or Japanese music in general, I describe the group as “math rock idols.” They have such a singular sound, one that’s also not too typically explored by idol groups, and it’s all thanks to producer Yoshimasa Terui, who’s also part of the bands Haisuinonasa and Siraph. For Sakana’s sound, he essentially imports his bands’ music directly, bringing their captivating mix of cosmic electronica and math rock’s zigzagging lines but also its frantic energy. I was just so mesmerized hearing Sakana’s Cocoon EP as my first listen, but how was your first impression of the group’s music? Did it remind you of anything you’ve heard before? 

Fabricio: Cocoon EP was also my starting point and it’s as captivating as you describe it. While I had listened to some Japanese math rock bands, it didn’t cross my mind that an idol group handling this genre could work so well. I was also familiar with some of Terui’s works like “Kyoumen No Nami,” the opening theme song of the anime Land of the Lustrous, so I noticed some resemblance, but Osakana’s solid and technical rock mixed with charming and catchy vocals made it stand on its own for me at the time. The track that grabbed my attention the most from the EP was “tokyo sinewave,” which focuses more on electronic sounds and feels a bit more atmospheric. Do you have any particular songs that you like from their discography?

(“Tokyo Sinewave,” from Cocoon)

Ryo: I don’t think they’ve had any misses, but “Lightpool” to me is the group at their absolute peak. Both the pinging guitars and flashing synths generally communicate a thrilling overwhelm of the senses in Sakana’s music. The idols are caught in awe at everything around them in “Lightpool,” and the lyrics about a sleepless city as this busy engine add to this incredible physical energy already present in the song. They experiment with more intricate riffs or flashier synth leads, but “Lightpool” does what they do best in the most succinct manner.

That said, there’s also something special in their earlier work around their self-titled album. They may sound incomplete because we know how they will sound later, but it captures a feeling you can only get with a group of idols who are just starting out. How are your feelings on their earlier work? Any standouts there?

Fabricio: Oh, I like their first album; it feels a bit too long for my taste but I still find it enjoyable. Of course, their sound is not as refined as it became later, but from the very start, the group showed an interesting approach. Having to get used to the rhythm of songs like “Koukoku no Machi’’ must have been challenging for the girls during their first years, so I can’t blame them for sounding a bit rough in a couple of places. A personal favorite song from that era is the main track of their debut single, “Yozora wo Zenbu.’’ It’s a very catchy and lovely tune and probably one of their more emblematic songs.

Something I really enjoy about this group is that, while they work with instrumental tracks, they also perform along with a live band. Have you seen any of these performances? How do you think their sound adapts to them?

(“Lighthouse,” from Tentai No Ongakusai, Vol. 3)

Ryo: I caught up with a few recent ones available on their YouTube account. Yoshimasa Terui has also uploaded a studio session of his band performing the group’s music as well, so the live element is really alive when it comes to Sora Tob Sakana. It’s really nice in that it emphasizes the fact that this complex pop music is made by hand by actual musicians, but I end up being more impressed by the idols. Before catching the live sets, I imagined the girls in blissful ignorance of their surroundings, which made their songs about newfound emotions feel very electric, but on stage, they are so in sync and total control of the music as much as the band behind them. They appear far more articulate and wise than I gave them credit for, and it gives a whole new dimension to the songs.

I think that growth was already starting to become apparent in these recent batch of songs in World Fragment Tour and “Flash.” It’s a big bummer we won’t get to witness the group chase a new direction now that they’ll disband very soon. Were there any ideas in the newer material you wanted to see them explore more? What’s something you will miss?

Fabricio: I really like the way new elements were introduced on their major debut releases, while still keeping the music consistently great without alienating most of their traditional listeners. I love the implementation of the sitar-sounding strings in “knock! knock!”, which is part of an earworm-y dance break. I also like the poppier and more disco-oriented “Shooting Star Rendezvous,” which wasn’t actually composed or arranged by Terui but by Masayuki Hasao. World Fragment Tour was their first release to include songs where their longtime producer was only in charge of the lyrics, but the entire album is such a consistent and cohesive listen that you probably won’t even notice. I guess what I want to express with this is that I wanted them to keep diversifying their sound while also maintaining the key elements that make them shine.

(“Knock! Knock!”, from World Fragment Tour)

Fabricio: Major debuts can be really scary for an idol fan. Despite this, and the fact that they turned into a trio after being a four-member act during most of their career, the group was able to remain stable and even obtained some international recognition thanks to their anime tie-ins. Now that their final album is out, what are your thoughts on this last part of their idol path?

Ryo: I honestly feel their time was cut short because as you mentioned, the diversity in World Fragment Tour showed a lot of new potential in the group. I was also curious to see just how growing older would factor into a group whose music is so driven by youth and innocence. Deep Blue previewed a bit how that might have turned out with Sakana revisiting their old songs but now as a more seasoned idol group with more age and experience gained over the years. The album being largely made up of previously released material initially seemed unceremonious, but it wowed me from just how much time and context can change the perspective of their songs. It’s really bittersweet to feel that sense of speed change from pure exhilaration to overwhelm and maybe even anxiety as a physical metaphor to how fleeting life can be.

I have nothing but respect for everyone’s choice to call it a day, but it’s still sad to see them gone because I don’t think there’s any group like them right now. Are there any groups that you think are doing similar work or feel some kinship with Sora Tob Sakana?

Fabricio: You can find some similar elements in songs of other idol groups like Yanakoto Sotto Mute or amiina, with whom Sora Tob Sakana performed live recently on their Getsumen no Tobira live shows. As I was writing this, I found the biggest reminiscence of Osakana’s music in one Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku song called “Haru no Arashi,” but then I learned the track was produced by Terui, so I don’t think that counts.

That being said, I think one of the reasons this group will be so missed is that, as of right now, there’s no other group which can particularly fill their place. For example, in others’ works you might hear some comparable instrumental elements, like guitar riffs, but with a different vocal delivery. While there are probably smaller idol groups that perform math rock (there are too many acts out there to say there isn’t), it’s going to take a while until one of them achieves the brilliance the Osakana girls have accomplished over years of hard work.

Check out previous installments of The Conversation:

Dempagumi.inc, with Bacci

Migma Shelter, with Myrna

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