Alternative Pop from Sapsei

Born in Guangdong and now based in Tokyo, Sapsei is a producer, animator and storyteller whose work brings together the worlds of sound and vision. Their art feels intricately constructed, intentional and cinematic, exploring what it means to be free, not as an abstract ideal, but as an everyday negotiation between self-expression and structure.

Sapsei’s music is ultimately shaped by the two spheres of the melodic storytelling of Cantopop and the multi-layered arrangements of Japanese pop. Having grown up between cultural currents, they’ve developed a distinctive sound that bridges the colourful, emotional context of Cantonese songwriting with appeal and energy of the Japanese music scene, resulting in a fusion that’s as visual as it is sonic, an animated universe of rhythm, colour and story.

When they first arrived in 2020 with their debut EP I Love TBR, it was already readily apparent that this wasn’t just another bedroom producer but an artist keen to venture into unexplored creative areas. Over the years, Sapsei has continued to develop that vision with a series of singles and now, their recent offering, “What’s the Difference Between This Fish and That Fish?”, might be their most ambitious thus far.

The track that captures both the details of modern Japanese pop and the soulful reflection of Cantonese storytelling with the title itself feeling like a riddle and fittingly so, the song lands like a meditation on individuality, confinement and the elusive idea of freedom. Musically, it’s a dazzling display of Sapsei’s kaleidoscopic creativity; the track is stacked with bright synth layers, syncopated beats and dazzling melodies that ripple like light across water. There’s a constant sense of movement in the song, a pulse that evokes the rush of a Tokyo street at dusk or the quiet rhythm of waves against a pier in Hong Kong.

Dashed with flashes of lively jazz vibes and propelled by the shifting punch of rustling percussion, Sapsei’s playful vocals glide above to form an upbeat jam unlike any other. Thematically, “What’s the Difference Between This Fish and That Fish?” dives into metaphor with the fish representing freedom, or perhaps the illusion of it, as Sapsei questions the invisible lines that define our lives. Are we truly free, or just swimming in a larger tank? It’s a theme that connects on multiple levels through the search for identity, the constraints of modern city life and the rebellion of seeking one’s own space in a system built to contain.

As an animator, Sapsei visualised the track as an internal journey, a surreal escape from the mundane that mirrors the song’s ebb and flow which jumps into an intense breakdown of glitching electronica before the vibrant blast of the track’s jazzy aesthetic in the closing moments. This single also marks an important step for Sapsei’s independent journey, offering the first showcase of their music featuring lyrics in their native Cantonese.

Listen to What’s the Difference Between This Fish and That Fish? below

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