Note

“What to Do Next / Disney Girls” is a double single built around mellotron sounds, inspired by the nuclear family depicted on the cover (in a broad sense) and the past and future of consciousness. “What to Do Next” has changed greatly over about ten years since its first composition, and together with The Beach Boys’ “Disney Girls”, it blends lyrics and sound while including playful elements. Distorted guitar is kept to a minimum, and the song is arranged as pop music with floating, airy textures using different instruments and melodies. Most of the work was completed by early November, but construction at monaminami caused a temporary stop from late November to early December. After resuming, the project was completed by the end of the year, with some overwork along the way.

1. What to Do Next

“What to Do Next” is a song about the answers that have always existed within myself. It has a mid-tempo, dream pop style with a mellotron-like sound. Simple drums, bass, and acoustic guitar form the base, and freely played guitar parts with layered vocals and choruses create light, flowing harmonies. The lyrics are linked to the next song, “Disney Girls”, and include playful, ironic touches. The song was first composed around 2009 with only strong guitar, vocals, and chorus, and was re-arranged around 2016 with a mellotron and other instruments into the version heard today.

2. Disney Girls

“Disney Girls” is a cover of a song from The Beach Boys’ album “Surf’s Up” (1971). While Brian Wilson’s “God Only Knows” remains my favorite, this time I chose this song. Written by Bruce Johnston, it has beautiful lyrics and a deeply touching melody. I have always been looking for opportunities to cover such great songs, and this time I came to this one. The 3/4 time is kept, with a lively rhythm and the mellotron carried over from the previous song, creating a different feel from the slow original. The layered choruses follow the original, but working on them made me admire the Beach Boys’ chorus work even more.