It’s summer. The days and the nights grow more humid every day, but it’s the suffocating temperature that can only be eased by the rain that makes the transition between seasons so difficult.

I woke up to the buzzing of a LINE notification. As I groggily grabbed my phone to silence it, my mood went from annoyed to elated when it wasn’t simply a photo, but an announcement from Maison Book Girl that they had a brand new MV out! This title, “Raincoat and the Bird Without a  Neck”, per the official English translation, is on their single “Elude”, slated for a June 20 release. Notable from the LINE announcement was the collaboration with Japanese fashion brand ANREALAGE (Cococo was a fan, according to the interview we conducted a year ago), whose love for stark monochromatic pieces and geometric silhouettes goes hand-in-hand with the signature visuals of Maison Book Girl.

This time again, Ekoms blessed us with a non-intrusive English translation in the video itself. While very literal*&, it allows anglophone viewers with a less-than-auspicious mastery of Japanese to gasp the subject matter of the song. The habitual demented cats on haunted xylophones** seems to be taking a rest, letting string instruments take their place. The habitual “rainy” sound of Maison Book Girl is still present, although with a new colourful spin. While the titular raincoats are white and present in all the scenes of the MV shot in natural light, the blouses underneath are made of a fabric reacting to UV light, revealing colourful patterns that have never before graced the visual identity of the group. While the specific model that Maison Book Girl is wearing does not seem part of the collection released to the general public, the cut is similar to the Power Arm Mesh Tee, although the material itself is quite different. The Power Collection (S/S 2018) incorporates the white UV reactive fabric as a key point for patterns, and it seems they have varied the pattern a bit more for this idol collaboration.

This new catchy song is perfect for summer. The recent foray of Maison Book Girl in colours beyond blue while maintaining their signature narrative and themes in the lyrics suggests they’ll only get more interesting with time, if such a thing is possible. I look forward to it.

P.S.: While unrelated to the main discussion of the article, I am really into MBG’s adoption of photography/camera as a symbol since Cotoeri.  It’s also the first time I got to witness a Teenage Engineering I-A& outside of their website, which fills me with pleasure, to be honest.

P.P.S.: Stay tuned for more articles regarding Maison Book Girl’s recent UK tour in the coming weeks on this very website.

*For instance, “I was forgot intentionally” 0:24

**I love said cats on haunted xylophones. I listen to them daily and would welcome them into my home. It’s not negative commentary in any way.