Existing out of former members of ヴィジュアル系 (Visual Kei) bands like Ashmaze., Lycaon, R指定 (R-Shitei) and 己龍 (Kiryu), 蛾と蝶 (Ga to Chou) looks extremely promising in terms of it’s lineup. The band was officially announced in October of 2024, but didn’t officially start their activities until December 24 of the same year. On this day they didn’t only kick off with their first oneman live show 羽化 (Uka) (which translates to “emergence” (of insects) or “growing wings” in English – we’ll get back to this in a moment), but also the digital release of their very first single “アゲハ” (Ageha).
The single will see it’s full physical release on January 10 of 2025, in two types: “Type GA” and “Type CHOU”, where the first contains two songs and a music video for the title track, and the second contains all three tracks of the single.
In English, the name of the group translates to “moth and butterfly”, so they’ve chosen to release their works as a “moth” type or a “butterfly” type, where the “moth” version seems to be the “limited” variety and the “butterfly” version will be the “regular” variety.
Even though this article is being written before the physical release of the single, we’re still going to look at the single as a whole. So as usual we’re looking at all three tracks and the music video for “アゲハ” (Ageha). However, I will be treating it as if we’re looking at “Type CHOU”.
As mentioned, the single exists out of three tracks: “アゲハ” (Ageha), “ザクロ” (Zakuro) and “雨宿り” (Amayadori), as well as a music video for the title track.
With that introduction out of the way, let’s dive into 蛾と蝶 (Ga to Chou)’s very first single!
Follow your heart
Starting with the title track “アゲハ” (Ageha), the title track is often considered to be the make or break for a first release like this. In English, the title translates to “Swallowtail Butterfly”, which immediately brings us to the lyrics, but also the name of the band itself. Because as mentioned in the intro, the insect and butterfly-theme seems to be returning into the band’s works over and over again.
The lyrics are sung entirely in Japanese, with exception of “Follow the rhythm” and “Follow your heart”, which are whispered at the start and ending of the song in English. These two lines also don’t return in the official lyrics, but they do return into the studio recording and the music video.
“アゲハ” (Ageha) almost follows the rhythm of a butterfly fluttering its wings, and even though the lyrics are relatively short in comparison for a song that spans a little over three minutes, they continue to be inviting the listener to come dance, spreading your wings like a butterfly while the sound of 創真 (Souma)’s voice is luring you to the lustrous beauty of a poisonous flower. The very end of the lyrics are also quite interesting, and quite fitting for the very first release: “The bell of the end is ringing, and I’m cutting off the ties of fate. I hope my wish will be heard. I’ll fly towards a colorful stage.”
The music video starts with some old footage of circus performers performing their routine on a bicycle, something we’ll see returning throughout the video multiple times while we see the members of the band playing their instruments, as well as vocalist 創真 (Souma) holding a framed butterfly and speaking to a girl in what appears to be an abandoned factory (based on the heavy doors we see closing in a part of the video). The shots of the band playing are both inside of the building and outside in the overgrown area surrounding it, but the main question we always have is, does the music video translate the “story” of the lyrics into a physical format?
In this case I would say yes and no. Where the lyrics paint an image of a dancing butterfly, the music video does not, and leaves a lot more to interpretation than the lyrics. From the standpoint of an overseas fan, I don’t see the emotion seen in the lyrics return in a visual format here, but that doesn’t mean the implications aren’t there. In my opinion the music video still compliments the song in its own unique way, and might refer more to the cutting off the ties of fate we saw in the very end of the lyrics. But of course, the actual answer lies with the band themselves – from my end it’s merely speculation based on what I can see.
The second track, “ザクロ” (Zakuro) starts off as the exact opposite of it’s predecessor. With a fast-paced rhythm and a more aggressive vocal style, the group shows us that they’re not just capable of friendly sounding songs that fit 創真 (Souma)’s standard vocal sound. The title translates to “pomegranate” in English, but doesn’t have anything to do with the fruit. Instead, it’s a love song dripping with obsession that fits the more aggressive style of the instruments. The lyrics are again mainly in Japanese, but the chorus does contain “I really wanna eat you. I wanna be one with you babe.” in English, adding to the obsession I mentioned earlier. Our storyteller simply wants to be loved by the one they’re “speaking” to in these lyrics, and they won’t hesitate to use violence to get what they desire, “Even false love is something that quenches my thirst.” and “It’s okay to lie, love me” only cementing that obsession more and more.
The final track on the single, “雨宿り” (Amayadori), once again changes the pace and rhythm of the single completely, pulling it down to a full ballad mode instantly. With lyrics sung entirely in Japanese, and a title that translates to “hiding from the rain” in English, vocalist 創真 (Souma) delivers us a ballad drenched in love, very fitting to the scene of hiding from the rain like the title implies. Painting a picture worthy of a movie scene, the lyrics speak of the sky beginning to cloud over before rain falls, while the storyteller is swaying in a crowded train, looking down while being tossed around by the scenery that passes by and feeling dizzy from it, but closing their eyes and “resting their wings” (and thus tying straight back in to the entire insect and butterfly/moth theme we’ve spoken about before).
While each song was full of emotion, this final track is definitely the most emotional due to it’s ballad style performance and its implication of rain, but “Close your eyes slowly, rest your wings, and the sky will be cloudy and sunny”.
Conclusion
Based on my previous articles, you probably know that I’m a big fan of the fast-paced and heavy songs, and ballads are more or less my nemesis of the music world. (And if this is your first time seeing something from me, then hi, and now you know too.) I also enjoy a release that has a good, or at least coherent story. While the entire single doesn’t fit into the coherent story-category, each song did tell it’s own story that clearly came forward in the lyrics.
The band has really considered the name they gave their group, and how to tie it in with their release style (the “GA” and “CHOU” versions of this single) and the lyrics themselves. The only song this theme didn’t really return in was “ザクロ” (Zakuro), but instead this track showed the diversity of the lineup, being reminiscent of the instrumental styles of Lycaon, R指定 (R-Shitei) and even 己龍 (Kiryu) – even though this last one was definitely the hardest to find in terms of influence. Guitarists 零 (Zero) and 楓 (Kaede) clearly brought their influence, while bassist 一色 日和 (Isshiki Hiyori) compliments with his solid bass lines, and drummer 宏崇 (Hirotaka) completes the very solid rhythm section we clearly hear in the first two songs.
As a whole, “アゲハ” (Ageha) seems like a very good starting point for 蛾と蝶 (Ga to Chou), and I am personally quite eager to see what their next release will entail.
Since the release isn’t available for purchase on international stores like CDJapan (yet), we’re not going to provide you with any purchase links (yet). Instead, we’re more than happy to share the Spotify version below:
More about 蛾と蝶 (Ga to Chou)
 (Ga to Chou)       |  (Souma)  |  (Zero) |  (Kaede) |
 (Isshiki Hiyori) |  (Hirotaka) |
雪 (Yuki) is the owner and driving force behind Arlequin.
She originally started the project in 2009 as a photographer under the name of Arlequin Photography, but developed an interest in journalism and translation ever since. Because of these interests interviews and reviews were added to the project, until it eventually hit the limits as a "photographer" in 2021, and Arlequin Magazine was added to the mix.
雪 (Yuki) is a native Dutch speaker with a graphic design degree, which means she is also the main person behind Arlequin Creations.
After all these years, she's still the one responsible for the interviews and most of the live photography you see here at Arlequin, but the majority of reviews and behind-the-scenes work is also done by her.
The reviews she writes are from the viewing point of an overseas fan, and thus written in English before being translated to Dutch, Spanish and Japanese. In the English versions she also tries to explain the meaning behind certain kanji or song titles to the readers, but what you don't see here is that these explanations are omitted in the Japanese versions in order to appeal to these readers more.
She speaks Dutch and English on a native level, but also understands Japanese and German.