Fujiya & Miyagi - New Shiny Object

Brighton kosmiche pop outfit, Fujiya & Miyagi, are back!

New Shiny Object is an album which has been through multiple iterations over its four-year recording span, only to emerge with the truth. An ode to the transfixing, magical properties art can have, it’s consciously the work of older musicians – or as David puts it, “people who’ve lived a life.” The record also marks 26 years of Fujiya & Miyagi and 20 years since their breakthrough album, 'Transparent Things', became a global hit.

Initially, the plan was for New Shiny Object to have been recorded live, with Fujiya & Miyagi stripping back their sound to the bare essentials. Aspects of that stripped back approach remain, with New Shiny Object emphasising directness, and the band’s melodic prowess. “I wanted us to write melodies that really touched people,” David explains. “There’s tendencies to pour your guts out on everything, whether that’s musically or verbally. I think music’s better when it’s got a bit of space. We wanted all the parts of each song to connect like the mechanism in a watch.” 

It’s a record that can discuss personal loss and fatherhood, often openly emotive while also displaying a wry sense of humour. David Best's lyrics are match fit on this record and full of his vivid, pithy take on the world.

A succinct nine tracks, New Shiny Object speaks to you in a direct, often moving fashion. “I think, as I get older, I'm more open,” David observes. “I’m trying to let my guard down. When you get to a certain age and you’re trying to express emotions, you need to be a bit braver and say exactly how you feel.” 

New Shiny Object is the work of a band for whom the latest challenge is always the most thrilling. The title song draws from the stubborn energy that has kept Fujiya & Miyagi motoring along for more than two decades, navigating a difficult industry with values and dignity intact. “When you are writing a song or coming up with ideas; it's always the new ones that are most exciting,” David points out.

“At its core though it’s about the thirst for new ideas and the joy in creating something from nothing. Which will never not be a magical thing.”

For Fans Of; LCD Soundsystem, Neu!, CAN, Talking Heads and New Order