[Honey’s Anime Interview] nano.RIPE Talks New Album, Tour, and Over 20 Years of Music

After a 2-year break, you’ve just released your 8th full album, Hikari wo Hakobumono. How do you feel about it, and what was the creative process like?

During the two and a half years since our last album, we continued making songs and releasing singles. So rather than beginning from a single burst of inspiration, this album consists of 10 tracks carefully selected from songs we created in that period, older pieces, and brand-new ones written specifically for this release. We believe we’ve put together a really strong album this time.

And to promote this new release, you will be touring Japan from April to June. What can your fans expect from these shows?

This tour mainly features songs from the album, but we’re mixing in popular live tracks and making big changes to the setlist in each location! Whether you come to one show or two or three, we’ll make sure the live experience never gets boring!

What can you tell us about the evolution of nano.RIPE, both musically and as a duo, over the past two decades since you first started?

Although we’ve gone through several member changes, I’m really glad we’ve been able to keep going without stopping. When the members change, the sound naturally changes too, but that’s why we’ve made a point of clearly deciding which parts should change and which should stay the same. By focusing on creating music that stays true to nano.RIPE, I feel we’ve been able to grow.

Speaking of growth, how would you describe the new sound of Hikari wo Hakobumono and its theme of “initial impulses”?

This is the 15th year since our debut, and our eighth album, but we still have plenty we want to do and sing about. I think that’s because the “initial impulse” we had when we started the band is still with us. This album is packed with that feeling.

At Honey’s Anime, we’re thrilled about your new album, and many of your fresh tracks have been stuck in our heads since the first listen. Could you share a message with our readers who have been following your successful career?

Thank you so much for always supporting nano.RIPE! We’ll keep working hard to create great music. We look forward to the day we can meet at a live show.