August 23rd, 2024, is yet another legendary release day in a summer of legendary release days. June 7th saw the release of Charli XCX’s BRAT, NxWorries Why Lawd?, and Kaytranada’s Timeless. We got new albums from Los Campesinos!, Childish Gambino, and Denzel Curry on July 19th. And today, we’re being blessed with albums from Fontaines D.C., illuminati hotties, and Sabrina Carpenter, among others. The most important album to be released today, though, is the one we’ll be talking about here.
Tokyo-based noise rock duo Melt-Banana never really slowed down between 2013 and 2024. After releasing their seventh album, Fetch, they’ve been touring practically nonstop. We were lucky enough to catch them in Atlanta back in June! Yet all that time, there were no new recordings released. Until this past May, when 3+5 was announced for release, and then a month later, when the album’s single, “Flipside,” was released.
With Melt-Banana’s trademark freneticism on full display, 3+5 hits the ground running with opening track “Code,” and the band never looks back from there. For the album’s 24-minute runtime, Yako and Agata are clearly having fun with the creative process and making that rare album where every track is its own universe but the full album still feels cohesive. “Puzzle” differs greatly from “Hex,” “Stopgap” differs greatly from “Scar,” but having them all together maximizes the listening experience and makes a listener keep going back.
Per the band, the album is “informed by Japanese culture in general, and the subcultures of gaming, anime and homegrown underground music in particular,” but according to the band’s vocalist, Yako, “I think [my creative muse is] the mix of various experiences and emotions from everyday life. Even things that seem unrelated to music can become sources of inspiration.” Agata, the band’s guitarist, echoed that sentiment, reminding us that “[creativity] is more about being open to new experiences and ideas.”
3+5 is full of new experiences and ideas from a duo that has always been innovating. Though Yako’s vocals have been processed in a similar fashion from Cell-Scape onwards, Agata told us that, “Yako recorded vocals on this album mostly at home, so while the process of creating the vocal parts was different, I think it allowed for a more relaxed and stress-free recording environment compared to before.” For the guitar textures and sounds, 3+5 seemed to us most similar to Cell-Scape, and so we asked the band how new gear has aided in their playful approach to making rock music. Agata was kind enough to break it down fully, so here is that response in its entirety:
I think my guitar sound relies heavily on guitar pedals. For “3+5,” I frequently used the Digitech Ricochet and the Boss SY-300. Digitech sent me one Ricochet, and I liked it so much that I got two more to use for pitch shifting. While the SY-300 can do something similar to the Ricochet, I like the sound of the Ricochet more. The SY-300 has effects similar to a sequencer, and I used it a lot on this album. I’ve always been interested in guitar synthesizers but didn’t want to deal with installing special pickups or carrying heavy equipment, so even though the SY-300 is a bit tricky to operate, I really like it. One difference between “3+5” and “Cell Scape” might be that the pedals became more automated. It’s a bit challenging to play the tracks from “3+5” with the pedals I used on “Cell Scape.” – Agata
This might not feel like a traditional “review,” and in a sense, it probably isn’t. 3+5 is an album that will hit every listener differently, and it feels like I’d be doing Melt-Banana a disservice to explain what I enjoyed about the album. Both Yako and Agata stress that they want listeners to enjoy it in their own way. Per Yako, “We’ve packed the album with things we find fun, so we hope others can enjoy it just as much.” Per Agata, “If anyone involved in creative work listens to 3+5 and gets inspired in any way, that would make us very happy.” So to honor their vision, I’m stressing that everyone listen and find what they enjoy the most.
Check out 3+5 below, and let it hit you how it hits you. We’d love to hear what you think! And, as always, be sure to show the band some love on their Instagram or Patreon!
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