Maison Book Girl : Automata

/ Papermaiden

Maison Book girl will soon be releasing their new album SOUP, and we are therefore graced with a music video for the song Kujira Kōjō (Whale Factory).

My undying love for Maison Book Girl’s music is always fuelled by lovely twitter user @Bukugal, who theorizes extensively about the universe depicted in their songs. I am not up to date on that canon, but what I know of it influences this review. Despite seemingly leaving the Hotel Solitude era and its ominous ruby skies, MBG continues to keep us on our toes with uncanny intervals of visual effects in an otherwise realist, hard, no-nonsense setting. This MV is extremely interesting in terms of colours, as it involved the usual white, black and blue with touches of red as a reminder and the addition of rust. The strong industrial presence is paralleled with a water themed. While rain is still A Thing, it appears steam and the submarine life are joining their scenic and narrative vocabulary.

The music video beautifully engulfs the Maison Book Girl essence. When the group revealed their new costumes through promotion photos, attentive fans immediately recognized the location from their indie days. This callback reminds us that MBG’s themes do not fray.

Musically, this song reminds me a lot of Karma, as its fast pace takes your breathe away in an attempt to catch all its nuances. I look forward to being as surprised by the whales as I was by the MRI sounds.