There has been an incredible amount of buzz around Japanese indie group Dazzle Vision, especially after their first American performance at Sakura-Con 2010 in Seattle, Washington. Various interviews with the band appeared online even before the group arrived on American soil, and we got a chance to sit down with them at Sakura-Con and discuss a little about their American presence with their newest album, to the next.
Dazzle Vision has been dubbed as a ‘screamo pop’ band, with vocalist Maiko leading the group in a sweetly powerful voice, only to instantaneously switch into a familiar death metal scream. We asked Maiko if this was something she had to train for or practice.
“I get asked this question a lot. I'm just singing the way I want to sing" said Maiko. "When I was asked this the first time, I was like, what do you mean? To me, it's just natural. As for practicing and preparations, there are some songs that I sing with a pure story to them, for those I use a more childlike voice, but normally for the other songs I don't do anything particularly special for them.”
The band has been quoted on several occasions that their theme is “Children create the world,” but where did it exactly come from? Maiko said it is a personal experience for her and the band, which survived through various hardships. “I realized that when our dream came true, it's you that makes it happen. So for us, we want to give everyone who listens to our songs the power to move on.”
The band revealed that they started working on their new album, which was released at Sakura-Con, right after their last CD. When they were invited to perform at Sakura-Con, the group was so excited, that they decided to release the CD in America first and titled it to the next, representing themselves taking their music career to the next level in America. “I never thought we'd be able to release a CD in America, it was a dream come true,” said Maiko.
The theme of the album is ikiru, life or living. In following the theme, the band arranged the songs in a manner that repeats itself in a cycle, mimicking the cycle of life. The first song, "to the next," is about new beginnings, similar to new life. Tracks two through seven describe various important life events, and track eight titled "Hirui," is the ending. Maiko described the last song as "very similar to the first song, in a way it kind of repeats itself in a cycle." At the end of the CD, the band also hid a bonus track, something listeners will definitely want to look out for.
We asked the group about the suggestive nature of the new album cover. Maiko explained that they were looking to create a Japanese-themed cover stylistically with the design, the suggestive nature was completely coincidental. They were not intending for a sexual representation; instead, she is naked, in the fetal position, to represent birth, another allusion to the album’s central theme of life. On the back cover, Maiko is looking into a water mirror of a new world, one that represents America.
Dazzle Vision realized that many people probably still have not heard of them yet, but to all their current and future fans, drummer Haru would like to leave a simple message to everyone in America, “Yoroshiku!”