Jeff and Erika had done the unthinkable: after spending thousands of dollars each on cosplays, plane tickets, hotel stays, and Pai Con tickets, they left the con early. Neither of them could tell exactly why, after so much anticipation, planning and travel they decided to abandon what had once been the end all be all of their individual Japan trips. Following nothing but a tight feeling in the pits of their stomachs, they hopped the first train they could. The destination: Nerima.
Check out some of the drum sounds we use on the live version of Nerima!
This one dates back to the middle of Covid. I was locked in the house, as we all were, and I was itching to experience the excitement of playing for a live audience again. Knowing that it was probably going to be a while before we could get back in front of a crowd, I decided to channel that desire for excitement into the demo that would eventually become Nerima. I wanted this song to feel epic and high adrenaline, like a windy view from the very top of Tokyo tower. Production wise, this is the heaviest song on the whole album, with 3 kick drums, 3 snare drums, and 4 synth basses all stacked on top of each other just to make up the rhythm section. The strings on Nerima can only be described as flamboyant, and also the best we’ve recorded so far. The tracking session was a ton of fun.
Lyrically, I wanted to lean on the idea that Jeff and Erika are starting to realize they both have pretty intense feelings for each other. Specifically with the line: “we’re ’bout to be maneki neko ivory white”. Maneki neko are little Japanese cat statuettes that have different colored variants that correspond to different forms of good fortune., and while I forget what the other colors correspond to, white is specifically supposed to represent luck, or being lucky. I stretched it a bit to essentially mean “we’re about to get lucky” in more of a western sense. as the sparks REALLY start to fly on the next song, and I wanted to set the stage for it at the very tail end of Nerima.
Oh, and despite having the audio qualities of a wild night on the town, Nerima is actually one of the quieter districts of Tokyo, but when you’re in love and in the moment, even the mundane can feel magical. Or at least it can for Jeff and Erika.
Normally I’d be
As far as I can see
Engulfed in those Shinjuku lights
That look so good to me
Here I am instead
Those lights inside my head
On a train a getaway
With someone I just met
Ginza and Shibuya
Where I’d normally be
Tonight they just don’t have
The same appeal to me
Books and body pillows got no way to compete
With face to face emotion
For a wonderful weeb
Nerima
Escape the city for tonight
Nerima
Party on the other side
Nerima
Of Tokyo a minute or two
But only for you
Endless urban sprawl
And seven story malls
Funny but I just can’t say
I miss them much at all
Happy being round
This quiet part of town
Causing a commotion with you
I am completely down
Ginza and Shibuya
Where I’d normally be
Tonight they just don’t have
The same appeal to me
Books and body pillows got no way to compete
With face to face emotion
For a wonderful weeb
Nerima
Escape the city for tonight
Nerima
Party on the other side
Nerima
Of Tokyo a minute or two
But only for you
I am no dandere boy
You’re no tsundere girl
We’re just two dorks that met each other
This side of the world
Even though we aren’t quite
The characters we’ve seen
In anime I just can’t shake the
Thought we might be OTP
Hit the metro station
But it’s too late to ride
We walk back to Hatchobori
Beaming but try
To hide the hope that we have both
Been feeling inside
We’re bout to be maneki-neko
Ivory white
Nerima
Escape the city for tonight
Nerima
Party on the other side
Nerima
Of Tokyo a minute or two
But only for you
Tell us what you think of the song!