Track Review: Emaru – “よるのみち”

In August 2020, Sputnikmusic emerged from its longstanding morass of thesaurus metal and folk diarism, spurting to sufficient heights of credibility that it became possible to review unofficial Soundcloud demos without pulling the tier-Z faux pas of punching above our weight. Some would suggest becoming a not insufferable writer and “saving the w**k for the bathr**m fl**r” before exploiting this field of journalism, but Rome wasn’t built in a day. This is Sputnik’s biggest opportunity since sliced bread. In we go:

Better known as the vocalist for glitch pop/indietronica/post-anime/neo-alternative folktronica/dream pop group Macaroom, Emaru is an enigmatic lady who dances like a fucking weirdo, nailed whisper pop as an artform before Eilish apologists took out a loan on critical legitimacy, and runs a solo project on Soundcloud for obscure tracks and semi-developed drafts. Her new song “よるのみち” makes innovative and unconventional use of the platform by being a worthwhile piece of music released there in 2020.

It comes from an artistic mind so cutting edge that the majority of Americans will be flat-out incapable of understanding her, something I could tell immediately by the fact that she is wearing a mask in her profile picture. Her speaking a language that demands constant contextual awareness for basic comprehension absolutely in no way compounds this. Maybe this song will mark a renaissance for Soundcloud (it won’t). Does Soundcloud need a renaissance? I used to think it was going the way of MySpace, but then a girl I used to have a thing with told me that a guy she used to have a thing with took a year out of uni to (I quote) focus on his Soundcloud, releasing several recordings including a diss track aimed at her (which was hilarious, as was the other sewage on his page), and I also have it on good authority that A. G. Cook runs an active profile there, so it’s encouraging to hear that there are at least two charmless anthropomorphisations of pasty concertion keeping the platform alive!

In any case, “よるのみち” is great stuff for many reasons. It has more in common with Macaroom’s sophomore record Homephone TE than the majority of material the group have released since – a good thing considering that Homephone TE is one of the best records made by humans – and it’s a good deal more interesting than around half of their candyfloss follow-up Swimming Classroom (the interesting half of which is also among the better things made by humans).

Maybe.

I mean, really it’s just a brief ambient pop song with good synth hooks and the kind of evasive beats that don’t sound like the object of their evasion is an engaging atmosphere. It’s great! I’m not entirely sure why I specifically referred to it as a demo when it isn’t even platformed on a page where not-demos exist. Maybe my thought process will remain a mystery, or maybe it’s because the production value just isn’t as intricate or nuanced as on Macaroom albums, although the writing and tones are all there; this would probably account for why Emaru has no producing or arranging credits on those albums to my knowledge (damn, I love it when one mystery ends up solving another – when one door opens, a window closes).

While we’re on the topic of avoiding circuitous bullshit, the lyrics are striking on this one! Emaru sings about simple subject matter in simple language; this track is literally about walking down a street at night* and the absolutely ordinary things you might come across there. This is striking because almost every Macaroom lyric I’ve ever paid significant attention to has been at least one of complex, cryptic, or a royal pain in the arse to translate. Not so here! Her lisped delivery makes it tough to transcribe precisely, but who needs precision when you’ve got imagery as huge as the red glow of red traffic lights at night!

I was particularly struck by the point at which Emaru refers to the “コンビニの光” (light of the konbini) – what an image! – given the staggering coincidence that I have also seen the light of the konbini (that’s ‘small supermarket’ for civilised countries that aren’t Japan and ‘convenience store’ for Americans) on multiple occasions, albeit in an altogether hue. Strap in for a fast one: earlier today I went to a konbini (yes!) to buy a bottle of wine and virtually nothing else, and as I was drawing up this list I wondered whether it’s really okay as a young person living alone to go to a konbini, or any store, for the sole purpose of buying alcohol which you will consume unaccompanied within the joyless confines of your squalid apartment (too full of life and not full enough of dead insects**), but then I realised that the same could be said for anything you buy in a konbini, or any other store for that matter, and consume unaccompanied and joylessly – like, if you’re already entertaining a mentality that inept, you probably should be drunk to spare both yourself and the wider world the embarrassment of your lucid thought.

At this point, my synapses lit up and “よるのみち” burst through my brain like a categorical hurricane (a high category at that!) as I recalled that Emaru sings about the experience of being a solitary person in front of a konbini in this song, something clearly testament to wonder of how music can bring disconnected individuals together in such a day and age where we have never been further apart and the world is literally ending. I hope she sings about relatable content more often. If she released a solo album entitled Light Of The Konbini, I’d buy it. I’d review with a high score (4.9/5 probably, but who knows how these things work!) and try to make you feel bad for not buying it too. 

I dunno, it’s a cute song. Peace!

*that’s what the title means btw!

**yet!!