"Kyu-Kurarin" (Japanese: きゅうくらりん; styled as Kyu-kurarin) is a song by Japanese Vocaloid producer Iyowa. The song was first released on YouTube and Nico Nico Douga on August 29, 2024, and released as a single on September 4, 2021. The vocals for the song are by Kafu of CeVIO.
| "Kyu-Kurarin" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Iyowa | ||||
| from the album Watashi no Heritage | ||||
| Language | Japanese | |||
| Released | September 4, 2021 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
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| Label | Self-released | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Iyowa | |||
| Producer(s) | Iyowa | |||
| Iyowa singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Kyu-kurarin" on YouTube | ||||
The song was inspired by the visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club! and tells an ostensibly teenage love story, but which allude to suicide and depression, and its strange melody went viral on social media and other websites for its lyrics.
Composition
edit"Kyu-Kurarin" features drums, a synthesizer and the bass, along with live instrumentation from keyboard.[1] The song contains many of Iyowa's musical characteristics, especially the synthesizer, which produces strange sounds through the use of reverse playback, rapid modulations, and other dissonances.[2][3] Japanese composer Haruki Tomita described the song as influenced by lofi hip hop and drum and bass.[1] The song is set in the key of D-flat major with a vocal range of G#3-F5.[4][1]
Iyowa wrote this song inspired by Sayori from the visual novel Doki Doki Literature Club!.[5] The song is about a teenage girl's love story named Kurari-Chan (くらりちゃん). In the song, it expresses the protagonist's conflict with herself, self-deprecatingly expressing that she is not the best fit for the person she loves. Eventually, it ends by suggesting that she has broken her heart.[5] The title "Kyu-Kurarin" changes the consonants of the Japanese word "Chūburarin", which means dangling in midair. The word is used to describe the onomatopoeia of hanging, and the song's lyrics as a whole allude to depression, suggesting that she committed suicide.[5][6][7]
Critical reception
edit"Kyu-Kurarin" received critical acclaim from many music critics. Japanese writer namahoge described the song as "Iyowa's glitch magnum opus", and praised the musical expression of time, including the musical expression of the alarm clock and its divergence from dreams.[8] Real Sound writer Hitoshi Sugiyama described the song as using of "experimental sounds" as well as the excellent fusion of Kafu's voice.[9]
Charts
edit| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Heatseekers Songs (Billboard Japan)[10] | 7 |
References
edit- ^ a b c Haruki, Tomita (2024-01-24). 【音楽ガチ分析】いよわ『きゅうくらりん』～ 異常なハーモニーが無垢な少女を襲う。止まないアラームがシンプルなコード進行を悪夢に変える……. Retrieved 2024-10-05 – via YouTube.
- ^ Tadahiko, Yokogawa (October 1, 2024). "DTM観点から「いよわ」を分析する". Eureka (in Japanese). Seidosha: 61. ISBN 978-4-7917-0453-8.
- ^ "SUMMER SONIC出演 DAiZY・杏藤心娃（ここぴょん）の"推し活"！ 「きゅうくらりん」「寝起きヤシの木」など推しボカロ曲＆オタ活をとことん語る". ニコニコニュース オリジナル (in Japanese). 2023-10-10. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ "きゅうくらりん の分析(音域、テンポ等) | KeyTube". keytube.net. Retrieved 2024-10-06.
- ^ a b c "いよわfeat.可不「きゅうくらりん」の歌詞の意味を考察！複雑な恋心を徹底解剖！ | 歌詞検索サイト【UtaTen】ふりがな付". UtaTen (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-08.
- ^ 【新発見】サウンドに切なすぎる秘密が隠れていた!? ｢きゅうくらりん｣ 初見耳コピ&解説 ぐさおリクエスト. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-10-08 – via YouTube.
- ^ Sakiko, Kawano (October 1, 2024). "潜む声、屍としての少女". Eureka (in Japanese). Seidosha: 109. ISBN 978-4-7917-0453-8.
- ^ "いわよ、いよわたちの世界を裂くもの". Eureka (in Japanese). Seidosha: 73. October 1, 2024. ISBN 978-4-7917-0453-8.
- ^ "syudou、Chinozo、雄之助ら気鋭ボカロPも続々制作 花譜から生まれた音声合成ソフトウェア"音楽的同位体 可不"の魅力". Real Sound｜リアルサウンド (in Japanese). 2021-10-18. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
- ^ "【Heatseekers Songs】チョーキューメイ「貴方の恋人になりたい」2週連続首位獲得 tonun／703号室がトップ10入り | Daily News". Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-10-05.