Thanks so much to Nana, Milk and Fumi, The Harriets!! The Harriets are a newish band from Japan that make catchy bubbly pop a la All Girl Summer Fun Band, Heavenly, Betty and the Werewolves, etc. You get the gist! The band released a zine not too long ago which you can find here. Oh and they also have a Soundcloud! The band is one of my favourite discoveries as of late and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Japanese readers, the interview is also available in Japanese here.
++ Hi Nana, Milk and Fumi! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? Still making music?
Nana: Hello! Nice to meet you! Thank you for giving us such a great opportunity this time!
Milk: Hello! We are very excited to be interviewed !
Fumi: Hello! Yes, we are so glad to be interviewed!
++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?
Fumi: Well, I was playing the piano when I was a little.
Milk: Ah, I was playing YAMAHA Electone. itʼs quite popular in Japan, but Iʼm not sure in the U.S. though…
Nana: I see, I was playing the piano and the guitar. But I was not good at the piano. Fumi : What sort of music we listened to when we were little…
Milk: When we were little, maybe Japanese pops at the time?
Nana: Yeah, watching music TV program and listening to the radio… I tried to record my favorite songs in my cassette tape. Haha.
++ Had you been in other bands before The Harriets? If so, how did all of these bands sound? I know Milk was in Kung-Fu Girl, a great band whose album I have (thanks again)! Any other bands? Any recordings by these other bands?
Nana: Yes, I used to play another band called ʻʼTwinkleTwinkles” before. It was a three piece girls band too. We released two mini albums and one 7 inch. I played this band quite long time, so members changed many times. Fumi also played together temporary.
Fumi: Yeah , before ”Twinkle Twinkles”, I was playing another band called “ice cream shout”. We released an album at the time.
Nana: I really liked the band! We used to play at the same event a few times at the time.
++ Where were you from originally?
Milk: We are from Kansai area such as Osaka, Hyogo and Wakayama.
++ How is Osaka for you? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?
Nana: For me, I was born here, so I have a lot of memories. Osaka is quite a big city so there are many good places and cool bands too!
Fumi: Yeah! Ah, we should definitely recommend “Glasgow Shokudo” !
Milk: Yes, definitely! Haha!
Itʼs a restaurant inspired from Glasgowʼs anorak music.
Nana: Not only they have a good atmosphere but also serve excellent cuisine. Milk: Club wonder is also recommendable place, isnʼt it?
Fumi: Yeah, absolutely! Ah, “NOON+CAFE” is also good place! We often go there.
Nana: Yeah, some great music events often take place there like “Anorak days”. At this event, All DJs play only analog LP and they know tons of good music. So we can enjoy anytime we go there. And speaking of analog LP, very good record bar, “Mile high club” is also very recommendable place! Itʼs like a museum for indie music lover.
Fumi: Yeah, thatʼs true! The owner of “Mile high club”, Shoji-sanʼs band “DEBONAIRE” is of course the legend of neo acoustic band in Japan.
So whenever we go there, we can learn good bands and music.
Milk: Yeah, and about band in Kansai, there are very cool band here too! I like bands called “Manchester school㲇” and “Kutsushita”.
Nana: I like them too! I also like “Lady flash” and “death by dumplings”
++ Speaking of favourite bands, who would you say are your favourite contemporary Japanese bands? Maybe a top 5? Would love to discover more great Japanese indiepop!
Nana: A top five…Thatʼs very difficult question! Haha. Ah I really like a band called “toddle”. they are major band though. Milk: Iʼm big fan of Spitz since I was little!
Fumi: Yeah, I also like them !
Nana: Ah absolutely! I love Spitz too! Ah if we say indie bands we like are…
Milk: I like “THE PATS PATS” and “cattle”.
Nana: I think my friend Mikiʼs solo project “h-shallows” is also very cool!
Fumi: Yeah, they are very groovy! I like “Caraway” too.
Nana: Yeah, I really like them too!
++ When and how did the band start? How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process?
Nana: First, I met Fumi at a live event. At the time we were playing in different bands, but music taste was very similar so we got along with soon.
Fumi: Yeah, it was already about 10 years ago…
Nana: I see, I canʼt believe it… then about 2 years ago, I went to a live event in Kobe as an assistant and saw Kung-Fu girlʼs gig. I was so surprised because I didnʼt know there was such a good band in Osaka! Then I tried to talk to Milk soon.
Milk: Yeah! I was also surprised that our favorite bands were almost the same!
Nana: Yeah, also we were living very close! Then I asked her phone number and a few months later, I asked her to play together. After that, I thought it might be good to ask Fumi as well.
++ How is the creative process for you? Where do you usually practice?
Milk : Nana and I write songs normally. We usually bring demos to the studio and arrange together.
Nana: Nowadays, Fumi also made good one!
Fumi: Haha thanks!
++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?
Milk: When we have to decide the band name because of our first gig, we asked our good friend, DJ Harada about it and he suggested his favorite record labelʼs name ( Harriet records). He said he wanted to name it if he made his own band someday.
Nana: Then, We liked it immediately! it sounds very pretty and the record label was also very good!
++ And who would you say are influences in the sound of the band?
Milk: We are influenced 80ʼs 90ʼs indie pop bands ,such as Tiger trap, Heavenly… Nana : Yeah, Talulah gosh, All girl summer fan band…
Fumi: Jesus and Mary chain… and so on.
++ I was reading a Japanese interview of yours, and one thing that caught my attention was that you all tell your Zodiac sign. I don’t know much about the Zodiac, but what does your sign mean to each of you? Are your signs complementary to each other perhaps?
Fumi: Wow! Thank you for checking our interview! we are very glad to hear that! Ah about zodiac sign, mine is Aquarius and it is said that full of curiosity and thinking logically. Well, I donʼt think so…
Milk: Mine is Virgo and it is said that person who has kindness and hospitality… Fumi : I think thatʼs so you!
Nana: Yeah! it is! Mine is Leo and it is said that creative and free-spirited person… Fumi : Wow itʼs so you too!
Milk: Haha, yes!
++ Your first release is a zine pack that includes a CDR with “Under the Moonlight (under the Sea Party Ver.)” and “Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe”. I would love tom know more about this release. What’s included in the fanzine for example? And how come only two songs are included?
Milk: Ah about zine pack which we released nowadays, Itʼs actually zine is the main thing.
Fumi: Yeah, First, we were just making zine with our friend, Kinoko Nishida who is an illustrator and CDR was supposed to be an extras.
Nana: Then we recorded our original 2 songʼs party special version! This Zine is included CDR and mini sticker.
++ I know, aside from the two songs on the zine pack, two more songs, “I Don’t Care” and “Last Night”. Were these songs released in any way? Or only online?
Nana: Oh! Thank you for checking our other songs too!! We are so happy to hear that. We released those 2 songs by cassette tapes included download code.
++ Are there plans for future releases now? Are there labels interested in your music?
Milk: Yes, we are planning to record our full album now.
Nana: We wish we could release it from a good label !
++ So, as I was saying, I know 4 songs. But are there more recordings by The Harriets?
Fumi: So far , we have just that 4 songs. We have more than 10 songs so we are planning to record them in our album.
++ And speaking of recordings, where do you usually record them? DO you have a producer?
Milk: We usually record in a studio in Osaka by ourselves.
Fumi: We donʼt have any producer.
++ The song “Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe” has a video which is so much fun. I have a few questions about this video. First where was this recorded? Where is this beach? Did you get to swim after the video recording ended?
Fumi: Thank you for watching the Music video! We recorded it in a small beach which is called “ Tokimeki beach” (Tokimeki means “my heart beats fast” in Japanese. ) in the south of Osaka.
Nana: It was a very hot day. we didnʼt swim because it was too hot to swim…
++ Second, what is for picnic? I notice while you are shopping at the supermarket you have face masks, was this recorded during the Covid-19 pandemic?
Nana: Yeah, we went picnic and shot it this summer so it was during the Covid-19 pandemic. We thought that we should definitely go to a quiet outside place in this situation. Then we decided to go on a picnic in this quiet beach. We had face mask all the time and went there by our car.
++ And third, at one point in the video you are in a recording studio with a two guy, who are they? The producers?
Milk: Ah, they are not our producers, they are our good friends, DJ MOKUO and DJ RYU.
Fumi: They helped our recording and made playlists for our ZINE.
++ I think my favourite song of yours might as well be “Eenie, Meenie, Miney, Moe”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?
Milk: Thank you very much! We like “All girl summer fun band” and their song called “Theme song “. I was inspired from that. I wanted to make the song like fun party.
++ If you were to choose your favorite The Harriets song, which one would that be and why?
Nana: I like every song, I cannot choose one.
Milk and Fumi: We canʼt either .Haha.
++ What about gigs? Have you played many?
Milk: Nowadays, we havenʼt been able to play like before because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nana: Before that, we did our gigs in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo.
++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?
Milk: The best gigs… thatʼs difficult. The very first gig was quite impressive for me though.
Fumi: Yeah, every gig is good memories for me.
Nana: Yes, I think so. but I was so happy when we performed in Nagoya. Because right after we finished playing, many people gather and complimented us.
++ And has there been any bad ones?
Nana: Well, we always enjoy gigs ! always get nervous though…
++ Has there been interest from the radio? TV?
Milk: Well, there has been a local radio program once played our songs . We were very surprised but it was so glad!
++ What about the press? Have they give you any attention?
Fumi: Well, I donʼt think so.
Nana: We are very DIY band, so we announce our works by using our official twitter and instagram.
++ What about from fanzines?
Nana: No, sadly we havenʼt had any message yet.
++ So far, for The Harriets, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?
Nana: I think it might be our organized Christmas live event in last year.
Fumi: Yeah, the venue was a normal hamburger shop. So we had to prepare a lot of things, but it was very fun!
++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?
Milk: I like cooking and watching movies.
Fumi: Me too! I like watching movies and sewing.
++ Never been to Japan, nor Osaka, so would love to know your recommendations, what are the sights one shouldn’t miss in your town? What about the foods and drinks one should try?
Nana: Oh! Please come to Japan when everything settles down. If you like, we are happy to show you good places here!
Milk: In Osaka, Maybe you should go to “Umeda Sky Building Garden” .
Nana: Yeah, Tsutenkaku area is also very OSAKA-ish place.
++ Anything else you’d like to add?
Nana: Again, Thank you for offering us this time!
Milk: Yeah, it was really fun!
Fumi: Yes, One day we would love to play in the U.S.!
Nana and Milk: Yeah, yeah! We want to go there!
Nana: Also we wish we could release 12 inch record too!
Milk and Fumi: yes, it is!
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