Your live shows have visibly grown in scale, and you’ve started playing overseas festivals. What’s that experience been like?

Hiyune: It still feels surreal. For instance, our Beijing solo show sold out almost immediately, and we’ve played stages that hold thousands of people. When you stand on those stages you can actually feel the audience listening — it’s a powerful confirmation that the music is reaching people beyond Japan.

Is the crowd energy different outside Japan?

Ryozan: Totally different.

Kozaki: Absolutely — they express themselves more openly.

Ryozan: One thing that surprised me was how everyone joins in for big sing-alongs.

Hiyune: Songs like “Neon wo keshite” become communal moments. Even if some people don’t know every lyric, they’ll sing and have fun together.

Since the echowaves EP, each member’s input seems stronger. How has that changed the band’s songwriting and roles?

Ryozan: We’re more involved from the start now. Where Hiyune used to originate most of the ideas solo, the other two of us are contributing earlier in the process. It’s made the workload fairer and the collaboration more fluid.

handmade covers a wide stylistic range — the opener “Unbound” even features Kozaki rapping. How did that come about?

Hiyune: [Laughs] It’s true — Kozaki’s rap was unexpected.

Kozaki: I’d never really rapped before. I threw a demo together three days before recording intending it as a placeholder, thinking Hiyune would take it. When they actually used my take I panicked a bit, but I’m glad it stayed — it added something fresh.

Which songs showcase each member’s personality most strongly? Kozaki, what stands out for you?

Kozaki: I worked on many tracks this time — “midori,” “moonlit,” “Freidol,” “middle,” and “Unbound.” For “moonlit” I wrote the melodies and lyrics and supervised vocal direction in the studio; hearing everyone add their parts was thrilling. It made me appreciate my bandmates’ strengths in a new way.

Where do your musical tastes show up on the record?

Kozaki: I’d say “moonlit.” It’s the most faithful realization of my ideas — everything from the melody to the arrangement reflects what I wanted to hear.

Ryozan, what was your contribution like?

Ryozan: I’m proud of the chorus to “dusk,” which is in English. Writing in a language I’m not fluent in was really challenging — I asked people on our team and others for help checking the lyrics — but I think it ended up well.

You’ve shifted from primarily developing Hiyune’s songs to a more shared approach. How did that transition feel?

Hiyune: At first I had reservations about stepping back. I’ve always wanted to make music in any form it needed to be made, and I also value the recognition that comes with leading a project. But seeing the quality of Ryozan and Kozaki’s work made it easy to trust them and accept a new balance. The process forced honest conversations about songwriting and lyrics, and that openness helped us grow.

It sounds like the band has matured — how does that show up day to day?

Hiyune: We talk more candidly now. Those discussions felt like the most sincere we’ve had as a group, and the fact that everyone responded constructively made the changes easier. We’ve become more like a small organization where each person has responsibilities but the shared goal is always making chilldspot better.

The title handmade feels appropriate. Why that name?

Hiyune: Previously it felt like each of us was patching different parts of a big cloth. For this record, it’s as if we stitched a single patchwork together — it truly is a collective album.