#track commentary

[prfm-multiverse]

Meguru-pu

a~chan Even though in exit we sang “I’ll close this loop,” this song carries a different message — something like “I want to keep connecting the irreplaceable time we’ve shared” and “I want this loop to continue.” I feel like it’s not just about Perfume’s activities, but also about the fans who have trusted us and stayed with us all along.

I was also really touched by the line “Unfolding a map of the future, my heart full of restless feelings.” You imagine, “If only I could become that person I see ahead,” but then you feel the gap between dreams and reality. You start feeling like your friends are moving forward while you’re being left behind. Even though I’m the one unfolding the map, I end up putting pressure on myself. Still, just like the lyrics say, I want to hold on to that part of me that has ambition. I hope everyone chasing their dreams can hear this song.

The line I sing — “A heart with a flame that can burn for something” — has a pretty high pitch. I love songs with soaring vocals, like those by IU or Nina from NiziU, so I sang it with that kind of diva feeling.

I’ve probably listened to this album more than any other. At first, Nakata-san sent me the finished tracks one by one through Dropbox. I would listen to one song while driving, then pull over to manually switch to the next, and then drive again — over and over (laughs). It was a hassle, but I really loved the album so much that I couldn’t stop listening.

Kashiyuka After we finished recording this album, we got the offer to sing the theme song for the drama Chihayafuru -Meguri-. Nakata-san started writing the song after that. When I heard it would be included in the album, I was honestly surprised. I thought the world of Nebula Romance and Chihayafuru -Meguri- were so different. But after listening to it, I realized it’s a truly exceptional song — one that fits perfectly in the world of the drama and in the real world too. I couldn’t help but think again, “Nakata-san really is a genius!”

The melody is beautiful, and he incorporated so many clever techniques. The choreography is also brilliant — it includes lots of movements from our past performances.

This was our third time contributing a theme song to Chihayafuru, but since this story is original and separate from the previous adaptations, it felt like stepping into a new world. When the production team said, “When people think of the Chihayafuru theme, they think of Perfume,” it made me so happy. It’s because we’ve continued this journey for so long that we’ve built this connection. That ties directly to the message of Meguru-pu.

Nocchi I absolutely love this song! The first time we listened to it together, I started crying just from the intro. I was in a choir in middle school, and this song has that kind of choral feeling — it woke up my choir soul (laughs). I also love songs that reflect the changing seasons, and since the lyrics have that imagery too, it made me really happy. The lyrics resonate not only with Perfume’s history, but also with each character in Chihayafuru. It’s truly a perfect match.

MIKIKO-sensei spent a lot of time crafting the choreography, blending in many of Perfume’s iconic past moves. Fans have been speculating about the meanings behind the dance, but honestly, even we don’t have a definitive answer. What I’m really worried about is whether I’ll be able to make it through the live performance without crying (laughs).

[yridenergyridenergy]

京’s commentary on the Phalaris songs

Schadenfreude

It's long, isn't it?

 Oboro

It's dark, isn't it?

 The Perfume of Sins

It's fast, isn't it?

 13

It's the fourth song, isn't it?

 Utsutsu, Bouga wo Kurau

I tried a different way to sing.

 Ochita koto no aru sora

I hope it won't be something that falls again. (in reference to the title)

 Mouai ni Shosu

Mouai-san.

 Hibiki

It's emo, isn't it?

 Eddie

It's fast, isn't it?

 Otogi

Otogi isn't ↓, it's ↑, right?

 Kamuy

The sound is beautiful, isn't it?

 Mazohyst of decadence (remake)

It's dark, isn't it? It's crazy, right?

 Ain't afraid to die (remake)

If I sing it in 2022, it will be like this.

*Note that most of his comments were structured as “adjective+ね”, and ne can be translated in many ways or even left untranslated... 

[prfm-multiverse]

Moon

a~chan The transition from the unease of Human Factory -电造人间- to the bright opening of this song was so moving it brought me to tears. I especially love the line “The moon has always been there, watching us, keeping its gaze on us.” And the lyric “There’s no need to be like anyone else” affirms each person’s existence. That’s so typical of Nakata-san — always reaching out a hand when you need it.

In recent years, we’ve often been asked, “What does happiness mean for us as women?” When Moon was released, I also wondered, “Does Perfume really have to be this way?” But this song feels like it’s saying, “You can just be yourselves.” There are kinds of happiness out there that many people can’t even imagine. It took us a long time as Perfume to truly understand that — and to realize that these feelings can’t easily be put into words and shared.

In Spinning World, we sang “We turn, and the world turns with us,” and in “Moon” there’s also the line “I’m turning.” I feel like Nakata-san is expressing a hidden theme: “We women are the ones moving the world.”

Nocchi When I sang the low part of “Always searching for what’s missing / There’s no need to be like anyone else,” I chose to use my natural voice. I didn’t soften it with breathy tones — I just sang it raw, exactly as it felt.

Kashiyuka This song is the theme for the TV drama Barakamon ばらかもん. The lyrics really speak to people caught up in their busy everyday lives. The sparse notes in the A section make the words stand out clearly, and it’s so pleasant to listen to. I also really love the chorus an octave lower — it gives the song a warm, grounding feel.

[prfm-multiverse]

Human Factory - Denzo Ningen -

A~chan The lyrics “We are kept cats, blissfully unaware / Forever dancing and sleeping on this satellite’s gears” are incredibly striking. They evoke fear and sadness — like that sudden, terrifying moment when you realize something. As the awakening progresses, the gears begin to slip out of alignment, the balance collapses, and everything falls into irreversible chaos. That uneasy feeling is expressed so vividly through the music.

Kashiyuka When recording the line “We are kept cats, blissfully unaware,” Nakata-san told us, “Sing it with a syncopated rhythm, but make sure it doesn’t sound like ‘We are young cats.’” That was so hard to get right (laughs). This song is the theme song for the film Showtime Seven. We appeared in the film as ourselves and performed the dance — the choreography was insanely difficult. We’ve never danced it again since (laughs). The three of us basically sealed it away.

Nocchi I really love the worldview expressed in these lyrics. It reminds me of Nakata-san’s earlier works before Nebula Romance前篇 — that slight sci-fi vibe, like Polygon Wave or Android&. Maybe others don’t notice it, but it makes me question, “What exactly is this world we’re living in?” The dissonant chords layered in the second half create such an uneasy atmosphere. Even the choreography for just the first half of the song is incredibly hard — it was my biggest challenge at Tokyo Dome (laughs).

[prfm-multiverse]

Teenage Dreams

a~chan This song has that “awkward but adorable!” kind of charm. The lyrics even have lines like, “The mechanical pencil you lent me makes my heart race.” (laughs) Perfume doesn’t usually have songs that feel like karaoke favorites, but this one really does—it feels like our first real karaoke hit since “Macaroni.” It gives me the image of everyone at a graduation ceremony saying things like, “Remember how we all worked so hard at the sports festival?” (laughs) I especially love the “la la la” part—it’s so light and nostalgic, like you’re fondly thinking back, “Yeah, those were our dreams and goals back then, la la la~.” It’s got this sweet, gentle bittersweetness to it. The lyrics don’t try to cram in too many words either; there’s this perfect sense of space and balance. I really love that.

Kashiyuka This song feels like a snapshot of our everyday lives together. The lyrics—“the mechanical pencil you lent me,” “you scoring a goal on the field outside the classroom”—paint such nostalgic scenes, like something straight out of a Shōwa-era girls’ manga. It’s so pure and heartwarming. Perfume songs always seem to travel through time, don’t they? (laughs)

Nocchi This song actually appeared back in Part 1, and it’s overflowing with youthful energy—it makes me a little shy just singing it. In section A, when we sing “Remember that summer,” there’s even this cute little “sparkle” sound effect. It’s so adorable, I can’t help but laugh. I kept thinking, “Can such a cute, high-school kind of song really fit into the world of Nebula Romance?” But when I later heard “Meguru-pu” and the line “Let’s go home, back to those days” in “Teenage Dreams,” I finally started to understand what this song was trying to express.

[prfm-multiverse]

Virtual Fantasy

a~chan Compared to the tense, high-energy atmosphere of the first four tracks, this song feels like a deep breath of relief—soft, calm, and comforting. It’s almost like background music in the best way; something that just feels good to listen to. Originally, all the lyrics were in English, but later we added some Japanese lines. The way we sing in English and Japanese feels completely different, and once the Japanese lyrics were added, it instantly clicked—“Ah, now it feels like Perfume.” That moment really made my heart flutter. I think this song beautifully condenses everything that makes Perfume who we are.

Kashiyuka Singing in English is always challenging, and since this song has a space theme, there were a lot of unfamiliar words, which made it even harder. At first, all the lyrics were in English, but later we re-recorded it with some Japanese added in. The overall tone of the song feels quite emotional and bittersweet.

Nocchi

The lyrics are almost entirely in English, so I worked hard to sing them properly. Our director actually grew up overseas, so the pronunciation coaching was pretty strict (laughs). There were notes like, “This S is silent, but this one isn’t,” all over my lyric sheet in red pen. Even though it was tough, the finished song feels light and freeing—like you’re floating through space, letting yourself go (laughs).

[prfm-multiverse]

Solar Wind

a~chan There’s a lyric that goes, “When I see a shooting star, tears start to overflow.” When I heard it, I imagined a scene like something from Wink—us spinning and switching positions gracefully on stage. Yuka-chan’s cool, melancholic vibe fits the song perfectly—it really makes my heart race. And when she sings the line “kushikushii wa,” it always cracks me up (laughs). It sounds a bit nonchalant, almost like she’s pretending not to care. There’s also a high-pitched part that gave me a lot of trouble—I couldn’t decide whether to sing it in chest voice, falsetto, or a mix, so I experimented with all kinds of approaches before settling on what felt right.

Nocchi From the very first listen, I was struck by how fast and driving the song felt. At first, the key was too high for me to sing comfortably, so we ended up lowering it and re-recording. Funny enough, the lower key gave it a nice kayōkyoku—old-school J-pop—flavor. It’s actually the theme song for a Gundam card game, and the word “Solar” was changed to “Sōra” in Japanese. I was really happy about that—it felt like such a cool little touch.

Kashiyuka When we were first recording “Nebula Romance (Part 1),” Nakata-san talked us through the concept of the album. Among the ten songs he mentioned was “Solar Wind.” It had such a distinctive sound that we all thought, “This one’s definitely going to be the lead track!”—the members and staff alike. But somehow, it just disappeared from the lineup later on (laughs). When it reappeared in Part 2, though, it felt like a stronger, more grounding song—almost like it had matured. It’s amazing how a track can sound completely new depending on the album’s context; it never feels dated. And since this one’s tied to the Gundam card game, it really gives off that “Gundam” vibe! I’m thrilled we got to collaborate on something that appeals to that world. Perfume often ends up doing projects like this—maybe because we have that mechanical, high-tech image ourselves?

[prfm-multiverse]

Saikidousekai 再起动世界

a~chan I really love this song. The first time I heard it, it had such a strong sense of speed—it felt like I was pulled right into the story. In section A, there’s clapping, and in my mind, I pictured the audience clapping while we tilted the mic stands and sang. But when we performed it in front of MIKIKO-sensei, she said, “Don’t do that move—it’ll make people think that’s part of the choreography!” (laughs) In the final section, the vocals turn into a whisper, like soft murmuring—it was super hard to sing. Nakata-san kept telling me, “Sing it more like a whisper!” so I practiced really hard. By the time recording was done and I said “Thanks for your hard work!”, my voice was completely hoarse—I was shocked myself. I thought, “I really gave it everything today!” and then chugged a bottle of cola in one go (laughs).

Kashiyuka It feels like the opening of a classic anime from the City Hunter era—fast-paced and super cool. I really like it. The BPM is quite fast, the rhythm’s tight, but it also has a touch of melancholy. In the demo, there was a part that goes “Saikidousekai,” sung with a little vibrato—I really liked that and worked hard to recreate it. We recorded lots of vocal layers—whispers, high tones, low tones—so the final sound feels really rich and full.

Nocchi In the demo, the “Saikidousekai” part was really powerful, and it was quite difficult to imitate. Also, when singing “There’s no more ashes in this world,” I had to express that confident yet mysterious feeling—it took a lot of effort to get that right.