Tonight

Formed in Tokyo in December 2025, GIRLFRIENDZ released their first single, Tonight, after an astonishingly short period of just one month. Recording took place the day after the band was formed, followed by the filming of the music video, shot at home using chroma key techniques, the very next day. This unusual speed and strong DIY ethos perfectly encapsulate the creative approach.
The artwork was created by Baba, an artist known for working with Brooklyn-based guitarist and singer-songwriter Mei Semones. Soft yet quietly painful, the visual aesthetic subtly reinforces the ambivalent emotions depicted in Tonight.
The music video unfolds as a gothic-horror fantasy in which Mayu, a wine lover, flees from a mysterious wine-opener monster. The instability and humor are vividly translated into visuals, blending a The Cure-like sense of gloom with pop sensibility. The result is an endearing, slightly chaotic lo-fi charm, evoking an innocent yet darkly playful take on 80s alternative aesthetics.
Tonight carries echoes of The Cardigans, the Swedish pop band known for pairing sweetness with a slyly cynical perspective. The song ironizes the discomforts and contradictions that arise from trying to live healthily and correctly in the modern world. Surrounded by well-intentioned choices - crystals, therapy, self-care, smoothies-the lyrics calmly trace lingering doubts, desires, and vulnerabilities that refuse to disappear. Rather than offering an overly positive conclusion, the song gently insists, - I can still show up tonight - , capturing a sense of real-time honesty that is neither resignation nor defiance.
Without being neatly absorbed into the conventional framework of the Tokyo indie scene, GIRLFRIENDZ embrace mainstream pop accessibility while presenting an ironic, playful, and distinctly personal worldview.
Tonight stands as the first step - an impressive and intriguing debut single.