The Otals "If You Ask Anti-Soda / I'll Give You a Scrunchie" 7inch

★First press limited edition

Alternative shoegaze duo The Otals have announced their first vinyl release! This is a summer tune in all its natural color, featuring a new kind of pop shoegaze that is based on stories rather than images, saturated with guitar sounds and male and female vocal harmonies, and rhythmic, light melodies that defy genre conventions!

This cut-up single from alternative shoegaze duo The Otals's full-length album, All Imperfect Summerland, released in July 2025, is their first vinyl release. It's a new kind of pop shoegaze that's based on a story rather than an image. It's a full-on summer tune, full of saturated guitar sounds, male and female vocal harmonies, and a rhythmic, light melody that defies genre conventions.

"Anti-Soda ni Iwasereba," chosen as a cut-up single, vividly captures the band's playful, casual exchanges, symbolizing their current state. This pop song, heavily influenced by '90s and '00s alternative music, features a heavily distorted guitar sound and layered backing vocals at its core. "Scrunchie wo Ageru yo" (I'll Give You a Scrunchie) is an alternative track built on an aggressive, fast-paced beat, inheriting the legacy of US indie music. The lyrics, with their touching, slightly off-kilter words of encouragement about reaching out into the darkness, have a short story-like narrative quality that's also part of their appeal. The distinctive, cartoon-like artwork consistently used in the band's artwork has also attracted fans. Their unique appearance, symbolizing a pop musicality uncharacteristic of shoegaze, has also drawn attention.