The season when I feel lonely
is coming to my town
I always cook rice a lot a lot
when I feel like it
It should be steamed and cooled off
Let’s start shaping rice to make onigiri
You can put anything
for the ingredients
The leftovers from last night
are my favorite food
They should be all together with the rice
(You can make it just for you)
Let’s start shaping rice to make onigiri
Lululu…
Put salt and water on your hands
and hold the rice
Then, put into anything you like
and make a triangle
It should be wrapped with nori
(You can make it just for you)
Let’s start eating or bring onigiri
to anywhere you want to go
Lululululu...tululu
You’re always you…
about
Background:
In this song, Onigiri is a kind of symbol for a safe feeling. Sometimes I miss my country, Japan. Especially the first winter in New York. Until spring came, the sky of New York was very dark and I felt lonely. To overcome this situation, I thought I needed to feel Japan. So, I cooked onigiri, and it made me calm.
Also I had thought I had to change myself to get used to being here when I moved here. However, I didn’t have to do it. It is because I realized there are a lot of kinds of people in New York. This city is made of a variety of cultures, and each person respects and enjoys each culture. So, I thought I should spread my culture and show myself instead of changing by myself. It becomes the best way to get used to being here.
Influence
For the lyrics, I was influenced by my classmates in the English school that I used to go to here. Each student has different reasons to live here but there was a person who used to have the same purpose to go to the class as me, some of them got used to living here already. There are many people from other places in New York, and they are trying hard to get used to being here. Of course, I’m trying it too. Sharing the same feelings makes me feel safe.
Also, musically I was influenced by ASPIDISTRAFLY and Vashti Bunyan for this song. These songs make me relax and relieve stress just like onigiri. Also these songs have an organic mood. I wanted to express the home made and personal mood with it.
Writing process
I found what I wrote that I was impressed by having onigiri in New York for the first time in my diary. When I came up with the melody and code, I remembered these feelings, and wrote lyrics.
When I started to record this song, my producer, Kiyoshi, and I shared an image of this song. It is that there is a house in the woods and I cook rice. When I cook rice, the kitchen is filled with steam. We express this steam with a mellotron. Piano shows onigiri is shaped gradually, and percussion shows my feeling getting well. This song’s percussion sounds like many people or animals make some rhythms by cooking. It shows people in New York enjoy and respect each country's culture such as onigiri.
credits
released March 3, 2023
Music and lyrics by SeN
Vocals, backing vocals, gut guitar, keyboards and percussion: SeN
Ambient and percussion: Kiyoshi Chinzei
Produced and mixed by Kiyoshi Chinzei and SeN.
Mastered by Taylor Deupree.
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