Starbright

Now on Streaming

Lyrics

はっきりとした輝きを見た
予定調和の及ばない夜に
風が削る街の灯り
瞬く星の様だった
ふと捉えた一つの価値
偶然の様に振る舞うの

はっきりとした輝きを見た
取っとく方が難しいみたい
風が削る街の灯り
埋もれて行く声だけを
かき集めて崩れながら
夢中になる 夢中になる そして

まっさらな言葉だけで
隠された意味を暴き
夜明けの方角へ進んでいた
まっさらな言葉だけで
不器用に意思を交わし
夜明けの方角へ進んでいた

僕はもう既に大人になっていて
僕はもう既に予感に満ちている
あらゆる種類の感情が僅かな狂いを知っている

Intro

otom’s first release of 2024, the single “Starbright”, released on May 5, 2024, is their first new song since “Touch” (2023). This self-produced track was entirely created by otom, — from songwriting and composition to mixing, mastering, and artwork. Based on a phrase written around 2020, the project was fully launched in September 2023.

The song features a small-ensemble arrangement with a focus on live energy, Fender Jazzmaster-centered sound design, drums that balance lightness and weight, and driving bass, with vocals and harmonies conveying the “light and shade of adulthood.” Recording was approached with a sense of relaxed energy — a continuation of otom’s ongoing theme of effortless expression in daily life. Incorporating elements of dreamy guitar pop and bedroom pop, Starbright delivers an experimental pop sound that sets it apart from traditional shoegaze.

Note

Starbright combines the raw energy of initial inspiration with contemporary ideas in the intro and verse arrangements. The composition came together smoothly from the start, with most initial ideas retained. Lyrics, completed in September 2023 along with the title, blend wordplay with emotional nuance, inspired by a conceptual image of stars. Unlike past works, the song required minimal revisions and was completed in relatively few versions. Working on the album mix in parallel delayed the release schedule from the end of 2023, with a pre-release on April 23, 2024, and official release on May 5, 2024.