One of the biggest and most influential bands of the Japanese indie rock sc… Read Full Bio ↴One of the biggest and most influential bands of the Japanese indie rock scene, Number Girl are a quartet hailing from Fukuoka, Japan. Formed in 1995, they gradually gained a following in their hometown, and soon released their first album, School Girl Bye Bye in 1997. The band was later picked up by Toshiba EMI and released their major label debut, School Girl Distortional Addict. Initially somewhat evocative of the Pixies and Sonic Youth, the band evolved and found themselves creating their own unique mixture of indie rock and traditional Japanese sounds in their subsequent albums, Sappukei and Num-Heavymetallic (both produced by Dave Fridmann.

They disbanded in 2002 when it was announced that bassist Nakao was leaving the band, and the former members moved on to other projects - Mukai and Inazawa formed Zazen Boys. Tabuchi formed Toddle shortly after Number Girl's breakup and joined bloodthirsty butchers as an official member after being a guest guitarist for a number of shows throughout their Kouya Ni Okeru tour in early 2003. Nakao joined Spiral Chord after their original bassist left, and shortly after formed Sloth Love Chunks.

The band got back together in 2019 and release their first new song since their disbandment, "排水管" ("Drainpipe"). During this reunion period, Number Girl played a number of shows from 2019 to until their eventual second disbandment on December 11, 2022.

ABSTRACT TRUTH
NUMBER GIRL Lyrics

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一升瓶一升瓶３本一升瓶一升瓶・・・答えはない
禅問答禅問答 YOSHIMURA HIDEKI 禅問答禅問答答えはいらん
いらーんいらーん

TWIN REVERB TWIN REVERB 拝聴 TWIN REVERB TWIN REVERB 岡崎蝉男
目盛りは10 目盛りは10 JAZZ MASTER TWIN REVERB TWIN REVERB 答えはない
なーい答えはない

正解はない赫点もない
答えは求めない先生、狂ったオレですが？
答えを求めるな本質なんてどこにもない

わかった気がした

先生あなたは一体どこの誰ですか？
先生安直な答えを出してもらっちゃ困る
先生あなたは誰ですか

先生お前は誰ですか
先生貴様は誰なんだ

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Abstract Truth" by Number Girl are an intriguing mix of seemingly unrelated phrases and questions that ultimately leave the listener with a sense of confusion and questioning. The first set of lines refers repeatedly to "one-liter bottles" with no answer, creating a sense of frustration and futility. The next set of lines mentions "Twin Reverb" and "Jazz Master" without any real connection, again leaving the listener searching for meaning. Finally, the refrain emphasizes that there are no real answers, and even the teacher (presumably the person being addressed in the song) cannot provide any satisfactory solution.

These disjointed phrases reflect a sense of philosophical questioning that is common in Japanese rock music, as well as the band's overall style that blends punk and alternative rock elements. The lyrics also reflect the band's tendency to write songs that are challenging and require careful thought to fully understand. In this way, "Abstract Truth" can be seen as a reflection of the human desire to seek answers and find meaning in life, even in the absence of any clear solution.

Line by Line Meaning

一升瓶一升瓶３本一升瓶一升瓶・・・答えはない
Repetitive drinking, trying to find answers, but none can be found

禅問答禅問答 YOSHIMURA HIDEKI 禅問答禅問答答えはいらん
Zen question and answer, referencing YOSHIMURA HIDEKI, but no answer is needed

いらーんいらーん
No need, no need

TWIN REVERB TWIN REVERB 拝聴 TWIN REVERB TWIN REVERB 岡崎蝉男
Listening to the Twin Reverb amplifiers, mentioning OKAZAKI Cicada Man

目盛りは10 目盛りは10 JAZZ MASTER TWIN REVERB TWIN REVERB 答えはない
JAZZ MASTER and Twin Reverb amplifiers are at level 10, but there's no answer

なーい答えはない
There's none, no answer

正解はない赫点もない
There's no correct answer, no illumination

答えは求めない先生、狂ったオレですが？
Not seeking answers, questioning the teacher if she thinks he's insane

答えを求めるな本質なんてどこにもない
Don't seek answers, as there's no true essence anywhere

わかった気がした
A feeling of understanding arose

先生あなたは一体どこの誰ですか？
Teacher, who in the world are you?