Shunkan, the LA-based rock project of Marina Sakimoto, is sharing her new official music video for “Arm’s Length,” one of the many deeply vulnerable and striking songs off her new album Kamikaze Girl, available everywhere now via Houston’s Rite Field Records. Starring Sakimoto, today’s release captures the intimacy of solitude with surrealistic visuals and powerful riffs.
“’Arm’s Length’ was originally written back in 2020 in the midst of lockdown,” Sakimoto reflects. “I think I was in denial about everything going on. My feelings of isolation and introvertedness had been steadily growing for a few years at that point, but against those odds, I still craved intimacy and friendship. I wanted the music video to be a visual representation of when I felt unworthy and alone, even spanning into when I was writing the record. I also love the visual style of Wong Kar-wai, so the video incorporates elements of his films that I particularly love. The video isn’t literal, I wanted it to feel somewhat dreamlike or surreal.”
Marking her long-awaited return, the new release is a record filled with introspective moments, soaring guitars, and gut-punching lyricism. The ten-track album brings its listener through the fire and out again, with Sakimoto’s powerful vocals leading the way. Shunkan’s first record in over five years, it feels as though they have finally arrived with Kamikaze Girl.
Recorded last year in Joshua Tree, CA and produced by Alex Newport (Death Cab for Cutie, Melvins, The Mountain Goats), Kamikaze Girl examines how to put things back together after falling apart. Heralding the announcement was “Hellbound,” a hazy, melancholic track that expects the worst and wants the best. Grounded by Sakimoto’s honeyed vocals, brightly toned guitar riffs reverberate like late-night memories and desire-driven mistakes. Following “Hellbound” came the single “Usual Suspects,” a high-energy, punchy track reminiscent of early 2000s emo. Sakimoto’s powerful voice and heavy guitar riffs center around lyrics that navigate life amid chaos. Final single, “Prettier” is packed with meaning, featuring heartfelt lyrics that grapple with self-identity while navigating the complexity of relationships. The song moves from melancholy to anger, communicated by initial slow-pulsing beats that transform into gritty, emotional guitar.
