original interview here
♪ Recording for「FLAME」
Q1. What were your impressions when you first listened to the instrumental version and read the lyrics?
Uchida Yuuma：Well, obviously, it’s vastly different from Impish Crow’s music direction. I had expected the song to be a powerful statement, leaving a strong after-blast, but instead it, like… It shook my soul to the core.
On our first listen-along, I was instantly struck by its complexity—this was going to be a pretty difficult song to tackle! …Aaand my suspicions proved to be true: we sure were in hot waters during the recording sessions. (lol)
Furukawa Makoto：The technicality and the pervading bass first struck me, as if clawing at my ankles and tugging my heartstrings—it’s a feeling that often runs through RUBIA Leopard’s songs.
The lyrics also have a sort of belligerent feeling to them, one that overpower their usual dazzle: with Tsugumi joining in, the belligerence carried a different message. That is the essence of sharing insanely cool rock.
Q2. What was it like in the recording booth? Tell us what you were most conscious about, and what we should look forward to.
Uchida Yuuma：At the risk of repeating myself, it was a really, really difficult song to tackle. (lol)
The key was a little lower than what I’m used to, but that boldness and weight in its textures made up for it. It was a unique experience for me as I’ve never sung something quite like that before, at least not without composing it myself.
Impish Crow’s style is to put a key to our advantage and embellish it, but since I wasn’t exactly playing on my field I had to hold back on colouring the song with Impish Crow’s palette. Instead, I highlighted Tsugumi’s singular voice and personality.
All in all, I wanted to give the impression that Tsugumi was “inserting” himself into the universe he was invited to, while also actively participating in the overall aura RUBIA Leopard emanated.
Furukawa Makoto：With the different vocal layers, I had some difficulty memorising the melody. The English pronunciation was pretty challenging too. (lol)
The texture lingering in the motif is heavy, powerful, so I felt like Akane had to match that weight with an equal vigour in his voice.
That being said, I recorded the song hoping to bring nuance to the disconnect between the instruments’ “force” and “dynamism” as well as their subsequent “quietness”—and if you took notice of this distinction in some way, then I would have achieved my goal.