It is befitting of the work of Koda to open with the closer ahead of his forthcoming debut album, , out October 2 via Newhere Music. “It felt almost like an homage to the concept of end credits, the end credits of the old films I loved,” he tells BEST FIT. “In a way, I wrote this song almost like an ending theme, like the end credits after the curtain has closed. The other tracks were more about finding my way through different kinds of confusion and beauty.”
Of the cinematic inspiration behind “ende”, drawn from the big screen, Koda cites Leos Carax’s Holy Motors – a French surrealist fantasy drama. But cinema as a physical space in which people congregate to watch a film also greatly informed on the track. Koda spent much of his childhood in an independent movie theater run by his father, immersing himself in a wide range of films.
Reflecting on this space and the moments he spent there are fundamental to the writing process. “Cinema is a very important place in my memory of childhood. The whole album concept is built around the two different cinema rooms in my father's theater, which showed very different kinds of films.”
The lyrics reflect this nostalgia-routed confusion, painting the picture of an isolated character unsure of how to move forward or to understand the present: “Lonely boy sitting on the ground / Seeing stars and memories swaying by”. Koda is searching for clarity on the past and not just in the cinema of his youth. “I went to a Catholic school, and the chapel there also had a very special meaning for me,” he explains. “Like the cinema, it was a place where I could be alone, with sounds and smells that made me feel very calm. I was also fascinated by how the space could suddenly transform into something more ceremonial when the moment called for it.”
Even with the introspections behind his songwriting, turning these ideas from being just that, ideas, into a three-minute song was a taught collaborative process. Working with both Semones and Abe, ultimately, surprised Koda: “What went beyond my expectations was how deeply they understood the song, and how they brought a sense of kindness to it, almost like it was a conversation. The chemistry I felt when their harmonies came together... moments like that are one of the most rare and rewarding things about composing.”
The genesis of “ende”, however, was an independent creative process for Koda. His love for jazz and electronic music, and a lasting interest in the work of Japanese composer Tōru Takemitsu sept into the sound: “The song itself came first, the album had been a little overwhelmed by confusion in many ways, and towards the end of the process, I suddenly felt like writing a simple song. I tried to imagine the childhoods of myself and my friends, and the song grew from there.”
Koda is keen to stress that “ende” is distinct from the rest of the album. “The other tracks were more about finding my way through different kinds of confusion and beauty,” he says. “There are also some songs with other wonderful collaborators, and I think there are a few moments that might surprise people in a good way.”
The rest of Koda’s album will doubtless be a collection of interesting and engaging musings, on whatever he has chosen to turn his mind to. His previous ambient and orchestral work speaks for itself, and with “ende”, Koda has proven himself to be adept at combining his eclectic range of styles into a concise and beautiful ballad.
Despite the range of creative inspirations and evocations conjured by the song, it is hard not to close one’s eyes and picture that empty cinema, with Koda’s silhouette cut against the images. “The two cinema rooms are the concept of the album, this song also draws on my memories of the church. I was imagining both of these spaces as I wrote it, as if I were sitting in that seat, quietly watching it all unfold.”