This interview was originally published in Japanese on barks.jp. Translated by VK Chronicle.

Interview: Sendai Kamotsu Returns with New Single “Itchi! Itchi!!” After 2.5 Years

The mysterious delivery company collective born in Miyagi—Sendai Kamotsu—has begun moving again.

Despite being a delivery company, Sendai Kamotsu has entertained audiences with diverse styles over the years: medieval Europe, the Seven Lucky Gods, yokai, circuses, and more. Now, after an absence of approximately 2.5 years, they’ve returned in a farmwork-style aesthetic. What are they thinking this time? We sat down with Chiba, the delivery division chief and vocalist, and Sati, the administrative/accounting officer and guitarist.

Q: It’s been a while. Summer has come around again.

Chiba: Sure has. A hot summer’s arrived.

**Q: Your new single “Itchi! Itchi!!” marks your first release in approximately 2.5 years since your previous work “FIGHT Patsuitchi.” Even accounting for your irregular activity schedule, what prompted such a long interval?

Chiba: Well, last year our older brother—I mean, NIGHTMARE, which our senior does—was celebrating their 25th anniversary. Our older brother told us “take it easy this year, would ya?”

Sati: Like “don’t get in the way!” (laughs).

Chiba: Exactly. So we’re like “got it,” and we laid low. Then this year rolls around, and we’re like “what do we do next?” It kinda just started happening naturally, you know?

**Q: Sendai Kamotsu has a history of clearly establishing work concepts like “heavy metal” or “medieval Europe” at different times. How was the direction for “Itchi! Itchi!!” determined?

Chiba: We talked about the theme again at first. The initial idea that came up was “peasant uprising,” right? You know, last year when rice prices spiked?

**Q: The rice shortage of the Reiwa era.

Chiba: And not just rice—lately everyone’s struggling with general inflation. Given that situation, we initially made the song with “uprising” as a working title. But then we thought “that might not fly these days, compliance-wise.” So we pivoted slightly and made it about “unity” instead—”Itchi! Itchi!!”

**Q: So the nuance of the uprising still lingers underneath?

Chiba: Exactly. That element’s still in the mindset.

**Q: The title track “Itchi! Itchi!!” was composed by Sati (official credit: R.S.S, abbreviated from Reonald Satty Schtroutz). Were there any particular things you were conscious of regarding the song’s style?

Sati: I wanted it to have more momentum than the previous “FIGHT Patsuitchi.”

**Q: From what I heard, there’s an air that evokes the Heisei band boom.

Sati: Like, more specifically in which direction?

**Q: As a whole, I felt an homage to Unicorn’s “Dai Meiwaku.”

Chiba: Ah, yes, yes, yes.

Sati: That’s correct. We were definitely conscious of Unicorn. Probably those who know will get it from Patsuitchi too (laughs).

**Q: Though Sati, you’re not really from that generation, are you?

Sati: No, not exactly. But I used to listen to them a lot because I liked them.

**Q: In that case, when expressing that Heisei-era feeling within the Reiwa era, what was most important to you soundwise?

Sati: I mean, I didn’t think about era or anything—I just tried to make catchy music. Especially when creating the melody, that was the priority above all else.

Chiba: This song has such a chaotic, fun feeling to it. I love it! ♡

Sati: Yeah, with a simple melody that refrains multiple times, it gets stuck in your head even after you’re done listening, right? I was aiming for that kind of melody that stays with the listener.

**Q: Meanwhile, the lyrics for “Itchi! Itchi!!” were co-written by you and Sati, correct?

Chiba: For these lyrics, once we decided on the unity direction, Sati wrote the foundational part first. Then I added my own touches, like “let’s use these words instead.”

Sati: You came up with the title and things like the chorus “Itchi! (Itchi!!)”

**Q: There’s also a fun element where the line “Zetsukoumon shichau zo” incorporates the title of your existing song “Zetsukoumon.” And the part “Can’t even say what I want to say / This world is poison even now” is rather timely.

Chiba: Huh? Timely?

**Q: Just recently, the revival version of the drama “GTO” started. The theme song is also “POISON ~Iitagotamo ienai konna yonaka wa~,” the same as 28 years ago.

Chiba: Oh really, is that so?

Sati: Sounds like we kind of rode that wave (laughs). Didn’t even know it was happening.

**Q: Speaking of timely, the line “Stop the war and ×× together / Let’s love each other” feels very real.

Chiba: There’s actually conflict happening in various places.

Sati: But honestly, you just wanted to do the “Panpanpan! (Oh!!)” part after that, didn’t you? (laughs)

Chiba: That’s because the important thing is loving each other, right? That’s how we’ll achieve world peace. It’s not like I specifically wanted to do “Panpanpan! (Oh!!)” for another reason. But when kids start singing this, I gotta be a bit careful about that. Kids are so innocent—they don’t really understand the meaning, so they might just go “Panpanpan! (Oh!!)” without thinking.

**Q: Kids do seem to like plosive sounds… But wait, isn’t there something suggestive about that part? (laughs)

Chiba: Speaking of suggestive, there was that old Southern All Stars song “Manpī no G★SPOT,” right? When I was a kid, I didn’t understand any of it and thought it was just a good song, so I belted it out in karaoke in front of my parents.

Sati: Did your parents know what it meant?

Chiba: Who knows? Thinking back now, I think there was definitely an awkward vibe. But I’m hoping “Itchi! Itchi!!” doesn’t become that kind of thing. Sendai Kamotsu is already considered a weird band as it is (laughs).

**Q: Considered “as it is”???

Chiba: Well, there was that time we got banned from Hibiya Open-Air Theater for getting completely naked (laughs).

Sati: But they say any publicity is good publicity, right? Pretty soon we need to come up with something to top that.

Chiba: So what should we do? Let me think it over… Maybe we should go viral with some scandal marketing? (laughs)

**Q: Speaking of the lyrics again, the ending goes “Etchi! (Etchi!!) Etchi! (Danketsu!) YEAH~!!” Doesn’t that completely mean something else?

Chiba: Huh, is it? Isn’t that a printing error?

Sati: It’s gotta be a printing error. We sang that?

Chiba: We didn’t. I definitely sang “Itchi.”

Sati: Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Can’t exactly fix it at this point. If someone made a typo, that’s on them (laughs).

**Q: I’ll take your word for it (laughs). And Sati, I’d love to hear about the guitar solo in “Itchi! Itchi!!” It sounds quite exotic. How did you create it?

Sati: This ties back to what we talked about with the lyrics—the atmosphere of war-related stuff from around spring this year played into it. But more than that, I really wanted to drastically change the song’s vibe with that guitar solo. The rap that comes before the solo had that same intention. I asked Chiba about it, and he suggested “then throw in some ad-libs,” which we did.

Chiba: But I can’t really hear my own rap, you know? We were like “does it sound something like this?” and just went with it.

Sati: So what kind of music do you usually listen to anyway?

Chiba: No matter what anyone says, it’s our great senior Kitajima Saburo! Other than that, setting-wise… hmm, I’ll skip the specific names (awkward laugh).

**Q: Sati has a lot of musical range, so you probably listen to current stuff and classic material alike.

Sati: I do skim over a lot of things pretty indiscriminately. Recently, something I found interesting was “I’M GAY” by Todrick Hall—the part where he sings “gay gay gay gay gay gay gay” is incredibly catchy (laughs). And for older stuff lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of 70s prog rock. Yes, King Crimson, those kinds of classics.

Chiba: Pretty tough stuff you’re listening to. I have no idea what any of that is.

Sati: I think that’s fine for you. There’s a charm in not knowing. When you have knowledge, you think “that breaks the rules.” But without knowledge, you can end up creating something totally rules-breaking. That’s what I expect from you, Chiba.

**Q: At “Sendai Kamotsu Tour 2026: Danketsu,” I imagine you’ll be performing “Itchi! Itchi!!” live. Were there any aspects from the production phase where you were already imagining how it would play live?

Chiba: In my own way, yeah. We thought about that.

Sati: Especially the call-and-response parts.

Chiba: I want everyone to definitely participate in that section. And if people watch the MV before coming to the live show, I think they’ll enjoy it even more.

**Q: Understood. Now let’s talk about the B-side tracks. “Atsuhanatuи” was composed by Gigaflare. How did you two receive it?

Chiba: Sendai Kamotsu is basically associated with summer, right? This song definitely captures that “summer’s here” feeling. It was a song I could easily imagine playing live while making it.

Sati: The song starts a bit laid-back, but then shifts into our usual style. I remember really thinking about how to approach that transition.

**Q: And in that “usual” section, the guitar is constantly wailing away—it’s fantastic.

Sati: Yeah, just wailing the whole time (laughs). We start mellow, but then I thought “let’s just wail from here on.”

Chiba: When you think about it, it’s amazing what a guitarist can do. Just changing the phrasing can shift the whole mood of a song like that.

Sati: But you know, even though I’m wailing that much, it’s actually the easiest part. At my level, I don’t even have to look at my hands to play that (laughs).

**Q: That’s the mark of a true technician, Sati.

Sati: I thought Gigaflare might scold me for overdoing it, but he didn’t say anything, so I’m relieved (laughs). Also, right before the wailing starts, there’s that “Aa” from Chiba. I was a bit surprised by his expressiveness there.

Chiba: Right? I’m amazing too. The melody was normal at first, but then Gigaflare said “I want you to do this like you’re at your wit’s end, holding your head.” So I was like “okay, got it,” and we nailed it on the first take.

Sati: In “Itchi! Itchi!!” too, there’s an “Aaa,” but they sound completely different.

**Q: The fact that you’re conveying that much emotion with just a single vowel is really something.

Sati: Maybe “Aa” is Chiba’s specialty (laughs). Next time we make a new song, should we do one that’s just “Aa”?

Chiba: Just “Aa”? Now that’s original! (laughs)

**Q: By the way, regarding the lyrics Gigaflare wrote for “Atsuhanatuи,” what did you feel, Chiba?

Chiba: Well, I think there are a lot of people like that these days. When I was a kid, I loved summer, but lately it’s gotten so hot. These lyrics really hit home for me. I’ve actually come to dislike summer.

**Q: Sati, what did you feel about “Atsuhanatuи”’s lyrics?

Sati: I relate to some parts, but there are parts I don’t really understand either.

Chiba: Which parts don’t you get?

Sati: Not so much “don’t understand” as… I sometimes think “isn’t that being a bit self-centered?” It feels like a song of self-justification (laughs).

Chiba: I guess there are parts like that. But the fact that it’s written as lyrics rather than something you’d actually say in conversation—that’s the attitude an artist should have.

Sati: Wow, Chiba’s being serious now.

Chiba: Yeah, I’m actually pretty serious. See, lately so many people are writing their feelings all over social media. But the important thing as an artist is properly incorporating that into your work.

**Q: Either way, “Atsuhanatuи” has turned out to be a fantastic summer song for a band like Sendai Kamotsu that evokes summer. Further, this release includes “Jontana,” which you composed both lyrics and music for, Sati. The strong Latin vibe feels very summery, and there’s an air reminiscent of the Gipsy Kings, who had a big moment in the past.

Sati: Right, I wanted it to feel like Gipsy Kings.

Chiba: Listening to it makes you want to drink beer (laughs). [Note: “Volare” by Gipsy Kings was used as a beer commercial jingle for years]

Sati: Because it’s summer. I wanted to make a song that would make everyone want to drink beer. So I thought I’d mix Gipsy Kings with Santana, but the Santana element ended up just being in the rhyming of the title and lyrics (laughs).

**Q: There might not be much Santana in the music itself (laughs). But the Latin-tinged guitar sound is very pleasant.

Sati: For this song, I thought it’d be good to use just one acoustic guitar throughout. Actually, we mostly used the demo as-is. I just re-recorded the solo.

**Q: For someone like you who normally plays electric guitar, what’s the appeal of an acoustic guitar?

Sati: The sound is soft and beautiful, which is nice. But the neck is thick and the strings are thick, so it’s a bit tough if you’re not used to it. But I think it turned out with a pretty good vibe anyway.

**Q: The ending guitar is beautiful too. Light and graceful.

Sati: I really wanted to bring out that summer feeling there. I mixed “Under the Sea” from The Little Mermaid with “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller. So this song is basically full of references (laughs).

**Q: How did you approach singing “Jontana,” Chiba?

Chiba: Sati told me what kind of song he wanted, so I made sure to bring out that vibe.

**Q: Did Sati give you any explanation about the lyrics?

Chiba: Nope, usually he doesn’t.

Sati: Did you understand what “Evidence!” meant?

Chiba: I got it, I understood it. It means something like “proof,” right?

Sati: Good. When we were talking before, you didn’t know what “hierarchy” meant, so I was worried (laughs).

**Q: Sati, given that the song’s arrangement was pretty locked in, what kind of story did you want to tell with the lyrics for “Jontana”?

Sati: The title “Jontana” came first. It’s not just because I was mixing Santana and G

Read the original Japanese interview on barks.jp