Sarina – The Fool
Tokyo alt-rock artist Sarina has dropped her new EP, The Fool, an intricate body of work spanning six impassioned songs.
Inspired by a complex array of feelings and retrospective moments, the EP is themed around identity and the many facets of what that means. From the multilayered meaning behind what it is to be “the villain” to the intense gothic glimpse beneath the glamorous facade of “the fool,” the EP unpacks these archetypes and gives fans a glance into Sarina’s inner voice.
Gaining its title from “The Fool” card in a tarot deck, the EP is a symbolic and illustrative collection of punk-tinged, alt-rock songs. “In tarot, the very first card of the deck is called ‘The Fool’ and is often considered the most powerful card,” Sarina explains. “Even beyond tarot, ‘The Fool’ can be many things: The jester, exempt from law. The poor soul played. Yet still reflecting strength and new beginnings. It felt the perfect fit to encapsulate this EP.” Produced by Kevin Thrasher (Panic! At The Disco, Blink-182, MGK) and mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Maor Appelbaum (Dream Theater, Sepultura, Rob Halford), the record traverses a wide emotional arc consisting of rage, resilience, guilt, recklessness, and deception.
The opening track, “Toast to the Broken,” is a rebellious pop-punk anthem fueled with fury and youthful rashness about running away from painful thoughts.
Next comes a haunting rock track, “Siren or the Sailor,” in which Sarina quips, “hold your breath, you’re only drowning.” Lightening the mood, “Race with no end” is a hopeful and upbeat ballad about being true to yourself when the world seems to cast its stones of judgment. “The song is about choosing to continue fighting even when it feels pointless,” shared Sarina. Diving further into the EP is another previously released single, “If you need me to be the villain (Then maybe I am).”
The track is a reclamation of agency for everyone who’s been made to feel like the “problem” in their own relationship, setting the scene for a ferocious and unapologetic vindication. The EP closes out with “The End Can Start With You” and “Fools Gold.” The latter is drenched in gothic theatricality, with a symphonic rock twist and a breathtaking vocal climax. “‘Fools Gold’ is my most powerful song to date,” says Sarina. “It’s about the smoke and mirrors of glamour and the rot that hides beneath. It’s easy to paint pretty colours on top of festering wounds, to cover and hide and boast when deep down we feel the sickness, the decay, the lie of it all. That’s why the song is called ‘fools’ gold. It’s not real, the shine, the value, none of it is real. It’s just a facade.”
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