We have no choice but to move forward. I think that's the era we live in...angela's new album "ONE WAY" is more powerful than ever!

angela is releasing their 7th album "ONE WAY", their first album in 2 years. 11 of the 12 songs are anime and game tie-in songs, making this album a powerful one. Atsuko and KATSU have been writing songs for various productions for the past two years, and "ONE WAY" is a condensed version of the fruits of their labor and the feelings they want to convey now more than ever.

The concept of "Knight's March" is a cheer song for high school baseball!

─ ─ Before we talk about the album, let me ask you about your latest single "Knight's March," which was released on April 29. It is an OP for the TV anime "Knights of Sidonia," following "Sidonia," and it has a strong impact this time as well, doesn't it?

atsuko: I had already put all my energy into the previous "Sidonia," so when I was asked to write the OP for the new series, "Knights of Sidonia: Battle for the Ninth Planet," I was in a bit of a bind (laughs). (Laughs.) When I thought about creating something new while retaining the atmosphere of "Sidonia," what I had in mind was an anime like "Space Battleship Yamato" or "Proclamation! I wanted to retain the atmosphere of "Sidonia" while creating something new, so I had respect for anime songs such as "Space Battleship Yamato" and "Proclamation! I wondered what would happen if I combined that musicality with a modern arrangement, lyrics in hard Japanese, and a big chorus at the chorus. But director Hiroyuki Seshimo made another offer, didn't he?

KATSU I received a data file of the old Soviet Union national anthem. What would happen if angela performed it? I was like, "What would happen if angela did this? From there, we went on to epic anime songs like "Space Battleship Yamato," and the concept that emerged was a cheer song for high school baseball games. When I got to that point, I thought, "This is it! I thought, "This is it!

─ That's a nice leap of imagination (laughs).
KATSU The reason why we ended up there is because in the new series, the characters' will to "fight" was solidified from the beginning, and there was a sense of unity. In high school baseball games, the players, the brass band, and the cheering students all work together as one. I thought that feeling would fit well with "Cydonia. Since the concept of the song was to be a cheering song, I decided on the title "Knight's March.

atsuko: "Sidonia" was already used, so "knight" was all that was left (laughs).

─ ─ The lyrics have an aural quality that fans enjoy, don't they?

atsuko Hahahaha (laughs). Of course I am singing the lyrics properly, but once I became aware of them, I started to hear myself that way. It's a publicly released song, so feel free to enjoy the rest in any way you like (laughs).

──The remix version is included in the album "ONE WAY".
KATSU I included it at the end as a bonus track. Ani-clubs are very popular now, aren't they? A DJ told me that when he played "Cydonia", the floor would get very excited. I wanted "Knight's March" to be used more and more at ani clubs, so I made a remix that is easy to get excited about and easy to dance to.

atsuko I asked Shohei Matsumoto, who arranged the latter half of "Sail away," to do the remix. What came alive here was the sound of the flute. Actually, the original version had a whistle like a cheerleader at first, but we removed it because it became too funny. In the remix, we brought it back and also added a voice like a cheering gaggle, creating an interesting sound that combines a dance beat and a cheerleader's song.

KATSU The first pressing of "ONE WAY" comes with a special hachimaki, so wrap it up and get excited.

─ It is quite unusual to have a hachimaki as a bonus for an album, isn't it (laughs)?

atsuko This is the hachimaki we are wearing on the jacket of "Knight's March. I haven't worn a hachimaki since I was a student at a sports festival, and I found that it really got me into the spirit of the event (laughs). (Laughs) The day of the jacket shoot, it was actually raining heavily, and I felt like my heart was about to break, but the cuteness of the horse and the spirit of the hachimaki got me through it. I asked the record company if they would like to include it as a bonus on the album, and they said yes (laughs).

KATSU Please use the hachimaki to raise your spirits, too (laughs).