AYAKO

《AYAKO》為HOLTON BLACK發表的第二張迷你實驗專輯。這次他將音樂獨立出來，成為作品的一部份，這也是他首次嘗試填詞，而專輯氛圍也如詞是「一場野性的奔放」。只屬於他的音樂風格在這張專輯顯得更加立體。

專輯名稱取自他撰寫的小說主人公，彩子的日文發音「あやこ」。此角色與他一同經歷了難以捉摸的精神世界，也探討了許多關於人矛盾的心理。因此「AYAKO」象徵著矛盾、貪婪的愛和自由的牢籠。而這些概念奠定了這五首歌曲的基調，皆象徵著私人的精神領域，充分地表現出只屬於他的黑色浪漫。

序曲〈THV〉描述了面對困境時，是要選擇自首、戰鬥，還是一如既往地逃走？而帶有大量重複旋律的〈BROKEN+TENDER-COOLER+COOLER〉，描述了身為在此世代孩子犯錯時與追尋自由的心境。再來是有如在施展魔法，又像是自我催眠般呢喃的〈KUGAHARA〉，以及一個對於自身感到困惑的烏鴉少年〈EMO BIRD〉，最後由迷幻感十足且滂薄的〈VISION〉一曲，再現他自身所體驗過的畫面與夢境，為整張專輯做一場帶有延續性的謝幕。

上張專輯描述了夢的迷幻與有趣之處，此張專輯則是當一個夢的旁觀者，站在某段距離觀看夢與現實之間的掙扎與徬徨。探討夢是使人面見事實，還是逃避現實；是使人墮落，還是強大一個人的心智。

他以一段文字作為《AYAKO》的概念總結：「現實與夢的距離，或許在某時也曾經被人算計。你既是男人也是女人，以無法被定義的身體，創造出另一個身體。你一如往常地向前奔去，彷彿永無止盡，一生皆要懸在夢裡。」

"AYAKO" is Holton Black's second mini experimental album. This time he made the music an independent entity and became a part of the work, and the music style became more three-dimensional in this album. The album contains a total of five songs, all of which symbolize the private spiritual realm and fully express the black romance that belongs only to him.

The title of the album is taken from the Japanese pronunciation of Ayako, the protagonist of the novel he wrote, "あやこ". This character experienced the elusive spiritual world with him, and also explored many contradictory psychology of people. Therefore, "AYAKO" symbolizes contradiction, greedy love and the cage of freedom, and these concepts set the tone of the entire album.

The overture "THV" describes when faced with a difficult situation, should you choose to surrender, fight, or run away as always? "BROKEN+TENDER-COOLER+COOLER", which has a lot of repeated melodies, describes the state of mind of being a child in this generation who makes mistakes and pursues freedom.

Then came "KUGAHARA", which muttered like it was casting magic, or hypnotizing itself, and "EMO BIRD", a crow boy who was confused about himself. The last song "VISION" combines all the past and reproduces the dream scenes he has experienced.

"The distance between reality and dreams may have been calculated by someone at some point. You are both a man and a woman, and you create another body with a body that cannot be defined. I will hang in a dream my whole life."