Australia-Japanese artist Jun Parker's newest release, the single 'Summer Silhouette', is an ode to both modern and traditional Japanese culture.
The song is an interpretation of neo-city pop (popular in early 2000s) style infused with lyrics written in katakana, a Japanese script used for foreign loanwords. "By carefully selecting katakana words, I ensured the song's narrative could fit any era, from the '80s to 2024, giving the story a timeless quality," Jun says.After opening with serene, idyllic crashing waves and a delightful sprinkling of piano, the song soon bursts into life a with a belting drumline merging with funky bass and a noodling guitar, Parker's take on 'city pop' drizzled in the retro '80s flavours of Wham, Culture Club and Duran Duran merging with a Daft Punk, Bruno Major coolness.
He sings bilingual (Japanese and English) that adds an exotic seasoning to the track, the tropical lushness and themes of escape permeating strongly as Parker sings about a bittersweet summertime romance – the contrasting emotions creating a tingling sensation of blissful elusion.
"What are these elements in 'Summer Silhouette'," queries Jun. "Firstly, the theme – a bittersweet summertime romance. Bittersweetness is a recurring emotional concept in retro Japanese sentimentalism.
"Summer is another key theme. When Japanese musicians emulated Western music in the '70s and '80s, they often included imagery of tropical paradises and resorts.
"With Japan's economic boom, more middle-class people could afford overseas tropical holidays, and the music reflected this growing wealth and idealism."
Ahead of the song's release on Sunday (7 July), today scenestr is thrilled to premiere 'Summer Silhouette'. Enjoy.
"'Summer Silhouette' is a song I wrote with a sharp focus on recreating the authentic groovy, city pop vibe in a contemporary neo-city pop style," continues Jun.
"After the initial city pop trend faded in the late '70s to '80s, a younger generation of Japanese artists in the early 2000s started to produce music reminiscent of the original city pop. Critics later classified this as neo-city pop.
"While there is debate over these terminologies, and many artists prefer not to be labelled, certain musical elements in these songs resonate universally across generations. 'Summer Silhouette' is an authentic recreation of neo-city pop from the 2000s, infused with retro '80s city pop elements."
The track was produced by Japanese producer Rillsoul, and features the soulful voice of Laura Loise on backing vocals. "After writing the song, I searched exhaustively for Japanese producers who could bring it to life and eventually found Rillsoul to produce the track.
"Once the instrumental was complete, I sought a female backing vocalist with a soulful voice, sang in English, another hallmark of city pop. Many Western soul, soft rock, and adult contemporary hits featured this element, inspiring city pop creators.
"For all these reasons, I proudly present 'Summer Silhouette' as a quintessential neo-city pop song, distilled to the purest elements that define the genre."
Jun is also releasing the song as a 8cm CD to celebrate the second Tanzaku CD Day. On Sunday 7 July, Japan celebrates Tanabata, the Star Festival.
"For Tanabata, the Japanese traditionally write their wishes on rectangular pieces of paper in five colors (blue, red, yellow, white, and purple) and decorate bamboo trees with them. Tanzaku CDs are named for their resemblance to these Tanzaku papers," Jun explains.
"This format was ubiquitous in Japan from the late '80s through the '90s but disappeared around the year 2000. Last year marked the 35th anniversary of the first Tanzaku CD release in Japan, making it the perfect time to revive this recording medium rarely seen outside Japan.
"It's fascinating how trends cycle back, and like cassette tapes, Tanzaku CDs are finally making a comeback.
"What I particularly love about this format is the unique rectangular shape of the CD jacket sleeve, which offers creative design opportunities. Additionally, the 20-minute sound recording limitation provides another creative challenge.
"For this release, tree13, a Korean illustrator known for his new-retro style paintings, provided a fitting illustration.
"The recording limit allowed us to include two songs and their instrumental versions. Why instrumental versions? Why two songs? These are valid questions. During the Tanzaku CD era, artists typically released a leading song with a coupling song and included 'karaoke' versions due to the popularity of karaoke in Japan at the time.
"By following this tradition, I pay homage to the past and hope my retro-inspired songs do justice to this retro recording medium."
