A Pre-Released Song's Video Started on a Shinjuku Screen Four Weeks Later

In three lines

• izna made their official Japanese debut on September 2 with the mini album 'HANDLE WITH CARE'.
• Title track 'DUMB HOT!' had already been released as a single four weeks earlier, on August 7.
• The music video arrived at 7pm yesterday, the day the album came out.

What arrived yesterday

Item	Detail
Artist	izna
Album	Japanese mini album 'HANDLE WITH CARE'
Release	September 2
Title track	'DUMB HOT!' (pre-released August 7)
Music video	September 2, 7pm — 2 minutes 23 seconds
Tracks	Five

Song first, album later

'DUMB HOT!' came out at midnight on August 7. The album followed nearly four weeks later, on September 2.

Pre-release is a way of announcing an album — send one song out ahead so the name exists before the record arrives.

In this case the song spent those four weeks with no home. The album gave it a place, and the video arrived then too. Four weeks stood between the recording and the film.

A title from a laundry label

The label said the album title 'HANDLE WITH CARE' was taken from laundry care instructions, carrying the message of valuing yourself as you are.

Take a phrase from a label and words meant for objects move onto people. 'Handle with care' is normally printed for things.

That transfer is the device in the title — asking to be treated gently, in the language of objects.

The five tracks

There are five songs: title track 'DUMB HOT!', the new song 'HEADACHE', and Japanese versions of the existing 'IZNA', 'SIGN' and 'Mamma Mia'.

Two new, three existing. A common shape for a Japanese debut album — carry over known songs with the language changed, then add a few new ones.

This is not izna's first Japanese release. Festival appearances, a Japanese-language single, a beverage commercial song and a fan concert came before this official debut.

Discovery notes

Start with 'DUMB HOT!'. If you already heard it in August, whether the video changes anything is the thing to check.

Then compare the three Japanese versions with the originals. The same melody meets different syllables.

Last, look at the album title again. Words meant for objects have moved onto people.

Just give it a listen, trust me.