Sphere released their 10th Anniversary Album on the 8th of May titled 10s.

After a year and a half to recharge themselves, Sphere returned in February with a concert at Maihama Amphitheatre titled LAWSON presents Sphere 10th Anniversary Live 2019 Ignition. With the title of Ignition, they start their engines going into their 10th year.

For this album, all 4 members contributed lyrics to the lead song titled Music Power→!!!! as well as working with JAM Project for a new song Hagane no Victress with JAM Project. There’s also songs focusing on each individual member with CITRUS*FLAG, My Sweet Words, SPOTLIGHT and Partage. Natalie also interviewed members of this group during in after a year and a half break, and asking the members of Sphere about their new songs and themselves going forward.

This is the third of five parts in an interview translated from Natalie.


A song we can’t follow each other

It feels like you’re going on the offensive for this album. For example, the third song When You Feel Love, feels like it came from a chorus group.

Tomatsu: One of the reasons why we made this song was that during the last stop of our LAWSON presents Sphere’s eternal live tour 2014, we sang an acapella version of Future Stream. We recorded the harmonies beforehand, and the plan was for everyone to sing the main. However for the acapella version there’s the main, minor and majoir so there’s enough parts for the four of us.

Kotobuki: After that when we made My Only Place, it was the first time we made we recorded the song with harmonisation.

Toyosaki: After that, we made sure to make songs with parts for each member.

Takagaki: I feel that it became one of our strengths, being able to do something only the 4 of us can do. This has been applied thoroughly into this 10th anniversary album.

Tomatsu: Therefore for When You Feel Love?, we don’t actually know the parts we don’t do. The materials all have our own individual parts separated and given to us. Like the live, we begin with the main and then segueing into the minor and major, and then back to the main. That’s why it’s a kind of song where we can’t follow each other.

Kotobuki: I don’t know your part you know? (laughs)

Tomatsu: It’s almost as if we’re singing it live, and we wanted to preserve it as best as we can in CD form. With as little accompaniment as possible. The demo has a lot more beats but we really wanted to have the 4 of us at the center.


Source: Natalie