Noise, Photography and No Wave: HYPER GAL Talk Our Hyper on SKiN GRAFT Records

Transmission 357: Interview with HYPER GAL

HYPER GAL grew out of a university friendship between Koharu Ishida and Kurumi Kadoya, but took shape in the concrete of Osaka. Their method is close to ritual: Kurumi weaves harmonic textures and synthetic loops directly from behind the drums, building an unstable, pulsing foundation in real time. Koharu responds like a reporter of the subconscious; she goes out into the world, takes photographs, and uses those images to give shape and name to her melodies.

Title: Our Hyper
Artist: Hyper Gal
Release Date: 2026-04-10
Genres: Avant-garde, Experimental Music, No Wave, Noise Rock
Label: SKiN GRAFT
Description: HYPER GAL interview: Osaka noise duo on Our Hyper, SKiN GRAFT Records, live loops and a European tour ending in Berlin.

Their discography maps this tension between chaos and control: Pure is the raw document of a performance captured in a single take during the silence of the COVID-19 period, while After Image is their surgical incursion into the infinite possibilities of the studio. Their third album, Our Hyper, was released on 10 April via SKiN GRAFT Records. Their European tour is in its final stretch, with three dates remaining over the next three days: Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Berlin.

Featured image: © Andy Armstrong

How did you meet? What were you doing before making music together?

Koharu: We met in the music club at our university. Before making music together, I was studying fine arts, focusing on printmaking and photography. I joined the band when Kurumi invited me to start this project with her.

Kurumi: We were university classmates and belonged to the same band circle. After graduating from university, I invited Koharu to join a band with me.

Was the two-piece format a deliberate choice from the start, or did it happen by accident?

Kurumi: The fact that many of my favorite bands are duos may have influenced me unconsciously. I originally worked on solo recordings, but I wanted to form a band, so I invited Koharu.

How much has Osaka influenced the atmosphere of your musical language?

Koharu: The underground scene in Osaka has had a significant impact on us. In particular, Namba Bears is a very important venue for us, as it’s where we performed our first live show.

Kurumi: There are many bands I like in the Osaka music scene, so I think it has had at least some influence on us.

Koharu, how directly does your visual art practice feed into the music?

Koharu: It’s not that a specific photograph directly becomes a lyric. Rather, I visualize scenes in my mind while listening to our demo tracks, and then choose words that best fit those imagined landscapes. While there may not be a direct connection between my visual art practice and our music, I believe my vocabulary and values are deeply rooted in my background in fine arts.

What separates Pure from After Image as records?

Koharu: Pure was recorded at a live venue, capturing our performance style as it was — essentially turning our initial impulses into a physical form. Starting with After Image, we began recording in studios, and our approach to crafting sound specifically for recordings became much more defined.

Kurumi: Pure was a one-take recording made at the live house HARDRAIN during the COVID-19 pandemic, capturing a live, pure vibe. After Image was created as a recorded work, with a focus on sound design and experimentation.

What exactly is the “after image” the album title refers to?

Koharu: When you hear impactful music, it can continue to resonate in your mind even after it stops — similar to the afterimage you see when you close your eyes after looking at the sun. The title refers to sounds that linger and images that remain burned into your vision. I’m interested in the sensation of things that are not clearly visible but still exist in a tangible way. Perhaps I want to give form to those ambiguous presences.

Kurumi: I hoped that after listening to the work, the impressions of the songs and lyrics would remain faintly in everyday life, like an afterimage.

Many of the track titles – Tinnitus, Fade Out, Mere Wisp, Null, Hazy– seem to orbit the same idea: residue, dissolution, what remains after an intense experience. Even your previous album was called After Image. Is there a conscious poetics of aftermath running through your work, the idea of damage, or trace, as raw material?

Kurumi: In terms of sound design, I especially intended Hazy to feel blurred yet unstable. I find it interesting that listeners perceive similar themes in other tracks as well.

Is there an underlying theme that connects the tracks of the album, or is it more a collection of musical episodes?

Koharu: The album is a collection of independent musical episodes rather than a single overarching theme. However, we did establish an overall direction — aiming for a sharper, more edge-driven, and darker atmosphere.

Kurumi: When recording the album, I consciously considered the overall sound design between each track. There are many sounds added during the recording process rather than in a live context, so I hope listeners enjoy the atmosphere of the album as a whole.

Does contemporary Japanese social reality enter your lyrics, consciously or not?

Koharu: I believe it is important to incorporate contemporary Japanese social realities and the authentic sensations of living in the present into my work. I want to maintain a grounded, worldly perspective, anchoring my artistic expression in the reality we live in.

Where is HYPER GAL heading after this tour and the new album? Are you already working on new material or collaborations?

Koharu: We want to continue performing in places we’ve never been. After this tour, we plan to create new music and remain open to collaborations. More than anything, we simply want to keep moving forward.

Kurumi: Performing in places outside of Japan brings many discoveries and is very enjoyable. I hope we can continue performing in various locations in the future. We also want to keep creating new works together as a duo. We would also like to try collaborations!

Photos courtey of © Hyper Gal

Matteo Damiani

Matteo Damiani is an Italian photographer and author. Curator of the sites Retrofuturista.com; weirditaly.com; china-underground.com and others