The Winking Owl is a pop rock band hailing from Takasaki, Gunma, Japan, fou… Read Full Bio ↴The Winking Owl is a pop rock band hailing from Takasaki, Gunma, Japan, founded in 2010 by guitarist Yoma. As the founding guitarist, Yoma enrolled in a music school in the United States after completing high school, where he also played in the band Cloud Highland. During this period, the band explored a genre reminiscent of female-vocalist bands like Paramore, which left a significant influence on Yoma. Although he initially planned to stay in America, visa and band-related challenges led him to return to Japan when his visa expired. Despite the setbacks, Yoma's passion for music persisted, and he decided to recruit members to a new band in Japan.

Luiza, the band's vocalist, had been Yoma's junior in high school, and the two previously played together in their school's light music club band. When seeking a vocalist for The Winking Owl, Yoma decided to invite Luiza, who brought her unique sensibility as a person of Japanese-Romanian heritage, infusing the band's sound with an expansive and captivating vocal style.

Luiza grew up listening to Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears and other pop stars. She later discovered Evanescence, which ignited her interest in diverse genres, including instrumental music and jazz.

Ranmalu got inspired to play instruments by bands like Sex Pistols and The Clash during his upbringing. In his teenage years, he delved into the screamo genre and became a guitarist. He later embraced becoming a dedicated bassist after joining The Winking Owl. Ranmalu left the band, but decided to rejoin in March 2019.

KenT became the band's drummer in September 2015, succeeding former drummers Yosuke and Hiroki. Raised in Mie Prefecture, he grew up watching bands perform due to his parents being event organizers. This led him to start playing drums, and he became a fan of Slipknot.

The Winking Owl's distinctive musical style emerged from an amalgamation of diverse influences, including emo, alternative rock, pop punk, and anime rock. The band has expressed that there are few female vocal rock bands of this type, and while playing with other bands, they sometimes found it challenging to find a perfect match and felt slightly out of place, but acknowledged that this uniqueness was part of the band's appeal.

Unfortunately, The Winking Owl is currently on an indefinite hiatus following the departure of Luiza on July 15, 2020. The band announced on their official website that Luiza would be leaving the group due to differences in direction, leading to the decision for the band to be on hiatus. After receiving Luiza's intention to withdraw, each member, along with the staff, re-evaluated their future activities and lives, leading to the conclusion of the hiatus. In addition, scheduled performances of PRAISE "MAKE A RIOT TOUR 2020 FINAL" and "KNOTFEST JAPAN 2020" transfer performances were canceled.

Since the hiatus, Luiza has embarked on a solo career. The band members currently on hiatus include Yoma on guitar and as the main songwriter, alongside Ranmalu on bass and KenT on drums.

Eclipse
The Winking Owl Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

もう一度あの時に戻れるとしたら
あとはもう何もいらないよ
死ぬ気で引き返せないと知れたら
多分少しは勇気出る
前を見れる

Anyway, they don't know about me

いつだって見えない敵は自分だとわかってた
気休めに勝利を手にしても負けなの
いつだって善悪掻き分けフィールドへ躍り出るのは
So I know I won
And that I was wrong
All I have to do is to accept my fault

今夜もアイツにまた唾を吐かれ
何も言えない自分許せないの
知ったかで賭けてみても伝わらにゃ
多分かすりもしない
気付かない

Anyway, they don't know about me

次に蹴り落とすのは古びた栄光だ
誰も前のお前に興味なんてないの
いつまでもすがりついても
いつかは風化してしまうから
So I know I won
And that I was wrong
All I have to do is to accept my fault

Let's drop the past
Give it up
Give it up
Give it up for the future
Let's have a blast and watch our past burn in flames
Let's drop the past
Give it up
Give it up
Give it up for the future
Let's have a blast and watch our past burn in flames
'That's why I decided'

いつだって見えない敵は自分だとわかってた
気休めに勝利を手にしても負けなの
いつだって善悪掻き分けフィールドへ躍り出るのは
So I know I won

And that I was wrong
All I have to do is to accept my fault

Overall Meaning

The Winking Owl's song "Eclipse" is about the struggle to move on from past mistakes and worries about what others think. The first verse expresses the desire to go back in time to a moment when things were better and simpler, but also acknowledges that knowing that it's impossible can give a little bit of courage to face the future. The lyrics then transition to the chorus where the singer acknowledges that they've always known that their own self-doubt and insecurities were their biggest enemy, and that even though they might win small battles, they ultimately lose when they let those feelings control them. The second verse talks about letting go of old ideas of success and glory and focusing on the present and future, and ends with the same chorus, where the singer accepts their faults and is ready to move forward. The final repetition of the chorus emphasizes the importance of always striving to move forward, even when it's difficult.

One interesting fact about "Eclipse" is that it was included in a compilation album called "Japanese Pop Punk Vol.1," alongside other Japanese punk and punk-inspired bands like Hi-Standard and Crossfaith. The band has cited bands like Blink-182 and Green Day as their main influences, but also draw from a variety of other genres like emo and ska. The Winking Owl has been active since 2010 and has released two full-length albums, with "Eclipse" appearing on their second album, "Into Another World," in 2014. The band has been praised for their melodic and catchy pop-punk sound, and have gained a dedicated following in their native Japan.

Chords (as played on acoustic guitar):
Verse: G - Em - C - D
Chorus: G - D - C - D

Line by Line Meaning

もう一度あの時に戻れるとしたら
If I could go back to that time again

あとはもう何もいらないよ
I wouldn't need anything else

死ぬ気で引き返せないと知れたら
If I knew I couldn't turn back, even with all my might

多分少しは勇気出る
Maybe I would find some courage

前を見れる
To look ahead

Anyway, they don't know about me
Regardless, they don't know who I am

いつだって見えない敵は自分だとわかってた
I always knew that my unseen enemy was myself

気休めに勝利を手にしても負けなの
Even if I win by soothing myself, in reality, I still lose

いつだって善悪掻き分けフィールドへ躍り出るのは
I always jump into the field of sorting good and evil

So I know I won
And I know I won