mugshot

1. Mugshot

2. John Doe

"Mugshot" was released more than a year after my debut single, and about 9 months after my 2nd single, because I was busy studying a tourism degree around that time. However, I eventually took the time to release this song, which is much darker than my previous tracks, and it features a retro funk-inspired sound using a wide variety of synthesizers, especially bass sounds and even a distorted xylophone to make it a powerful song.

The lyrics deal with infidelity, joking around the idea that you already have ideas for your mugshot in case you get caught taking revenge on someone who cheats on you. I felt like the lyrics were a bit risky though, so in the rare occasions where I've performed live after stopping my Japanese music activities in 2015 I always tried to avoid this song because I was unsure of how people would feel about it. Howeved, despite seeming like a violent song, in the end it's a satirical song about betrayal and how, for a moment, we all get really angry after feeling betrayed. 

The b-side track, "John Doe", is such a fun and catchy funk-influenced track that sounds straight from the 80s, and it's the kind of sound I was going for, so I was really pleased with how it came out. The lyrics use that expression, "John Doe", as a metaphor of moving on putting the past behind, instead of constantly worrying about things that can't be changed anymore.