E-Side

For the United Kingdom telephone line term, see D-side (UK telephone cabling).

E-Side is the debut English-language EP (second overall) by Japanese duo Yoasobi. It was released on November 12, 2021, through Sony Music Entertainment Japan. The EP consists of eight tracks from the duo's songs in the English language, including their previous-release singles "Into the Night", "RGB", "Monster", and "Blue". Konnie Aoki is in charge of translating all tracks into English. Commercially, E-Side debuted at number 19 on the Oricon Combined Albums Chart and number nine on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums.

E-Side
EP by Yoasobi
Released	November 12, 2021
Genre	J-pop
Length	31:49
Language	English
Label	Sony Japan
Producer	Ayase
Yoasobi chronology
The Book (2021) E-Side (2021) The Book 2 (2021)
Singles from E-Side
"Into the Night" Released: July 2, 2021 "RGB" Released: July 16, 2021 "Monster" Released: July 30, 2021 "Blue" Released: October 29, 2021

Background

Yoasobi released their first English-language song, titled "Into the Night" on July 2, 2021, which was translated from the duo's "Yoru ni Kakeru" by Konnie Aoki.^[1] It was peaked at number 44 on the Oricon Combined Singles Chart,^[2] and number two on the Digital Singles Chart.^[3] Later, they also released "RGB" from "Sangenshoku" on July 16,^[4] "Monster" from "Kaibutsu" on July 30,^[5] and "Blue" from "Gunjō" on October 29, the same day as E-Side announcement.^[6] All tracks debuted on the Oricon Digital Singles Chart at number ten, eleven, and thirteen, respectively.^[7][8][9]

The duo revealed on their radio show, Yoasobi's All Night Nippon X [ja] that the EP title E-Side was decided by Nippon Broadcasting System.^[10] According to Ayase in a Paper interview, the meanings of the songs had not been changed in the EP and that Yoasobi was trying to appeal to overseas fans.^[11] In a Nylon interview in February 2022, Yoasobi said that they take into consideration the sound structure to choose the songs to make an English version. They said that the songs they chose should not interfere with the original and should still be able to be understood in English.^[12]

Release and promotion

Yoasobi announced their first English-language EP, titled E-Side on October 29, 2021, the same day as "Blue" release, alongside its track listing, and cover artwork, scheduled for release on November 12 to digital music and streaming platforms only,^[6][13] as part of "Yoasobi Nice to Meet You Countdown" to announce the duo's new information every Friday for ten weeks until their one-off concert Nice to Meet You.^[14] The cover artwork of E-Side depicts a red pixel art on the bottom of the gray background with darker gray pixels and places the duo's slogan "Novel into Music" below the EP's title, designed by Mina Sakurai.^[15][16]

The EP contains four previous-release English songs, and four new English-translated songs: "Haven't" from "Tabun", "Comet" from "Yasashii Suisei, "Encore", and "Tracing a Dream" from "Ano Yume o Nazotte".^[17] The duo uploaded the EP's snippets as the "crossfade movie" on November 7.^[18] The full song of "Comet", and "Tracing a Dream" were played for the first time at their radio show Yoasobi's All Night Nippon X on November 10, due to asking fans via Twitter poll.^[19] The accompanying music videos of the all new tracks were premiered alongside the EP release since midnight JST.^[20] LED billboards for advertising the EP were also placed in New York City, United States.^[21][16]

Commercial performance

In Japan, E-Side entered the Oricon Combined Albums Chart at number 19^[22] and debuted atop the Digital Albums Chart, selling 3,305 units.^[23] The EP entered Billboard Japan Hot Albums at number nine.^[24] It opened with 2,847 digital sales, charting number two on the Download Albums, behind only Silk Sonic's An Evening with Silk Sonic, which debuted atop with 2,891 digital sales.^[25]

Track listing

E-Side track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Into the Night"	4:19
2.	"Haven't"	4:16
3.	"Monster"	3:25
4.	"Comet"	3:33
5.	"RGB"	3:39
6.	"Encore"	4:30
7.	"Blue"	4:06
8.	"Tracing a Dream"	4:01
Total length:		31:49

All tracks are written by Ayase and translated to English by Konnie Aoki

Notes

• All tracks are noted as "English version" in some music streaming services.^[26][27]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official website.^[28]

• Ayase – songwriter, producer
• Ikura – vocals
• Konnie Aoki – English translation

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for E-Side Chart (2021) Peak position Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon)[22] 19 Japanese Hot Albums (Billboard Japan)[29] 9

Year-end charts 2021 year-end chart performance for E-Side Chart (2021) Position Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[30] 63 2022 year-end chart performance for E-Side Chart (2022) Position Japanese Download Albums (Billboard Japan)[31] 35

Sales

Sales figures for E-Side

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Japan Digital	—	9,468[32]

Release history

Release dates and formats for E-Side

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	November 12, 2021	Digital download streaming	Sony Japan	[33][26]

References

1. "YOASOBI「夜に駆ける」の英語版楽曲「Into The Night」ikuraがパワフルに歌唱". Fashion Press (in Japanese). June 25, 2021. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
2. "週間 合算シングルランキング 2021年07月12日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
3. "週間 デジタルシングル (単曲) ランキング 2021年07月12日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 12, 2021. Archived from the original on July 7, 2021. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
4. "YOASOBI、英語版第2弾「RGB」（「三原色」英語Ver.）配信リリース＆MV公開". Skream! (in Japanese). Geki-Rock. July 16, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
5. "YOASOBIの「怪物」英語バージョン「Monster」配信リリース決定". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Hanshin Contents Link. July 27, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
6. "YOASOBI、初の英語版第1弾EP『E-SIDE』11/12リリース。"群青"英語Verの"Blue"配信＆MV公開も". Rockin'On (in Japanese). October 29, 2021. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
7. "週間 デジタルシングル (単曲) ランキング 2021年07月26日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. July 26, 2021. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
8. "週間 デジタルシングル (単曲) ランキング 2021年08月09日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. August 9, 2021. Archived from the original on August 4, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
9. "週間 デジタルシングル (単曲) ランキング 2021年11月08日付" (in Japanese). Oricon. November 8, 2021. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved November 3, 2021.
10. Yoasobi [@YOASOBI_staff] (November 2, 2021). "E-SIDEというタイトルはANNX前のニッポン放送で決めました。 / #YOASOBIANNX" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 7, 2021 – via Twitter.
11. Bell, Crystal (October 29, 2021). "YOASOBI Is Ready to Go Global". Paper. Archived from the original on June 25, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
12. Rindner, Grant (February 19, 2022). "How J-Pop Duo YOASOBI Turn Novels into Chart-Topping Songs". Nylon. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
13. Billboard Japan (November 1, 2021). "Japan's YOASOBI Share English 'Blue' Music Video & Announce First English-Language EP". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
14. Yoasobi [@YOASOBI_staff] (October 29, 2021). "発表させていただいた英語版EP"E-SIDE"の"E"には、Englishはもちろん色んな意味が込められています🌙" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Twitter.
15. Mina Sakurai [@sakurai_mina] (October 29, 2021). "🎉実績紹介🎉 / YOASOBI「E-SIDE」配信ジャケット手がけました！ / ドット絵風に、YOASOBIさんらしいモチーフのイメージを表現しています。" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 13, 2021 – via Twitter.
16. NoMusicNoReason (November 16, 2021). "YOASOBI debuts English EP "E-SIDE" consisting of fan favorites". JRock News. Archived from the original on November 16, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
17. "YOASOBI、「Blue」配信＆MV公開。初の英語版第一弾EP『E-SIDE』11月発売". Barks (in Japanese). Japan Music Network. October 29, 2021. Archived from the original on October 31, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
18. "11月12(金)配信リリース英語版第一弾EP『E-SIDE』のクロスフェード映像を公開！". Yoasobi Official Website (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. November 7, 2021. Archived from the original on November 7, 2021. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
19. Yoasobi [@YOASOBI_staff] (November 9, 2021). "たくさんの投票ありがとうございました！ / ご期待の多かった二曲、 / Tracing A Dream(あの夢をなぞって英語版) / Comet(優しい彗星英語版) / を本日24時〜の #YOASOBIANNX でフルOAします！ぜひお聴きください🌙" (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved November 10, 2021 – via Twitter.
20. "YOASOBI、英語版第1弾EP『E-SIDE』から初収録4曲のMVを11/12 0時より連続プレミア公開決定". Skream! (in Japanese). Geki-Rock. November 10, 2021. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
21. Yoasobi [@YOASOBI_staff] (November 13, 2021). "YOASOBI in NY🍔" (Tweet). Retrieved November 17, 2021 – via Twitter.
22. "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2021-11-22" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 19, 2021. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
23. "Oricon Top 50 Combined Albums: 2021-11-22" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
24. "【ビルボード】TOMORROW X TOGETHER『Chaotic Wonderland』が総合アルバム首位　シルク・ソニックが5位に初登場". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Hanshin Contents Link. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
25. "【ビルボード】シルク・ソニックがDLアルバム制す、YOASOBI／三代目JSBがトップ3デビュー". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Hanshin Contents Link. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
26. Yoasobi (November 12, 2021). "E-SIDE by YOASOBI". Apple Music (NZ). Apple Inc. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
27. Yoasobi (November 12, 2021). "E-SIDE / YOASOBI". Tidal. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
28. "Song / Novel / English". Yoasobi Official Website. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on November 11, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
29. "Hot Albums [2021/11/17 公開]". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
30. "Billboard Japan Download Albums Year-end 2021". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
31. "Billboard Japan Download Albums Year-End 2022". Billboard Japan. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
32. Cumulative digital sale figures for E-Side:

    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2021-11-22" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2021-11-29" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2021-12-06" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2021-12-13" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2021-12-20" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2021-12-27" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2022-01-10" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
    • "Oricon Top 20 Digital Albums: 2022-01-17" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
    • "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: 2022-11-28" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved November 23, 2022.
    • "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: 2022-12-05" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
    • "Oricon Top 50 Digital Albums: 2023-10-23" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
33. "初の英語版第一弾EP『E-SIDE』が11/12(金)に配信リリース決定！". Yoasobi Official Website (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. October 29, 2021. Archived from the original on October 29, 2021. Retrieved October 29, 2021.