Raison d'etre

Raison d'etre is PaleNeØ's first maxi single, issued on March 15, 2025 on VAA with the catalogue number PNO-003. It was sold at the venues from the opening night of the band's first national one-man tour, Allegro Agitato, at stay punk! in Mishima, Shizuoka, and later through mail order; the digital release followed on March 26. The record was made back to front. An artist photograph strewn with flowers was shot first, and once it had been chosen as the sleeve, asanuko wrote the title song at speed and REOTO put words to it in a single night. AYARI plays slap — on guitar — on that track. The second song, “Yomei Ichinichi,” dates from around autumn 2024 and is the band's first twin-vocal piece, with Hohomi screaming and REOTO taking the clean lead. The third, “Two Step☆Screaming,” had previously existed only on a CD packed into the band's 2024 lucky bag and was properly recorded here for the first time. Karaoke versions of all three follow, making six tracks in all. The title track's video appeared on March 24. The song itself was not played live until later — in a double encore at the Allegro Agitato finale on May 11 at Daikanyama SPACE ODD in Tokyo, the same night AYARI and YONA played their twin slap section.