Eve: “Inochi no Tabekata”

Osaka, Japan’s Eve (the latest of several stage names for the otherwise anonymous singer-songwriter), started out as a participant in the “utaite” scene, a subculture of amateur fan covers of vocaloid hits (a pretty rarified niche to begin with). Over the last decade, Eve and his band have become hitmakers in their own right with their light but caloric, hyper-produced pop-funk. Their latest single is “Inochi no Tabekata”, the title of which translates to ‘how to eat life’, off the brand new album Smile. The accompanying clip is an energetic contraction of an imaginary anime series, crawling with all kinds of urban goblins. It’s the latest in the line of Eve videos showcasing Japanese indie animators, in this case Mariyusa, whose haunted house full of interesting work can found right here.

If that wasn’t quite precious enough for you, here’s the same song, adapted to the sound of those little wind-up music-box contraptions.