An In- “Depth” Look at YUTA’s Album

What makes this project so remarkable, resonant, and richly meaningful

Simply put, Depth lives up to its title. With lyrical, vocal, and instrumental nuances and the perfect track list order, this is a powerful soundtrack to and permission structure for shedding one’s old self. It also speaks to how doing so is not mutually exclusive from becoming more confident. Like how a butterfly becomes the most beautiful version of itself after a series of transformations, people can actually become prouder and bolder versions of themselves after casting aside their old shells. That process is not instantaneous, but like patience pays off when waiting for a butterfly to emerge from its cocoon, confronting struggles before a rebirth proves to be worth the time and energy. Depth is an unflinching, universal, full-circle look at experiencing acute pain, emerging from it stronger, and looking back with gratitude for every step that has led to a new beginning. 

“LAST SONG”

The album starts with “LAST SONG,” sending the message right away that every ending is also a beginning. Just strings and piano accompany YUTA’s voice, before backup voices join in and create a haunting yet hopeful atmosphere, as if listeners are walking towards a bright clearing at the end of a dark forest. The wariness in his voice and the eerie echoes of the other voices have a firmer presence in the second half, but softness remains during the pivot into a full-on rock ballad. He describes feeling “Saved by kindness and affection” and realizing he will never be alone when he tries to “start again.” Life is full of people who stumble and pick themselves back up, over and over again, a reminder both daunting and comforting. 

As the song evolves, so do the lyrics. For example, “Cross over / And I find my strength” changes to “Cross over / And leave everything behind.” Just as notable are the lyrics that repeat without any changes, like “I can fly away.” This is a pattern throughout the album: YUTA sounds as intentional in his repetitive moments as he does in his more overtly substantive ones. The depths of his life lessons come from the quantities of times they are reiterated just as much as they come from their qualities. 

“LAST SONG” is about finding inner peace through letting go, and the outro channels a sense of feeling lighter and freer after doing so, by returning to just YUTA’s voice and a piano. The song ends as it begins, which is fitting for an album that does the same, starting with “LAST SONG” and ending with “Goodbye” (“Butterfly - Depth Ver.” is more of an epilogue - yet it also represents another new beginning).

“Off The Mask”

One line at the end of “LAST SONG” is “Lift your face up,” which segues well into “Off The Mask.” With an accelerating intensity to the guitars and percussion, a continuous fullness from the presence of backup voices, pronounced reverberations, and lots of screaming, YUTA sings about the need to “call this demon out” and leave “the world behind.” As rejuvenated as he sounds to let out screams, keeping his voice in that strained place throughout the song indicates a “darkest before dawn” situation. His words convey both a sinister quality and excited readiness: “An opened Pandora / A taste of despair and hope… Don’t be afraid of darkness / Go and try it.” 

Just two songs into Depth, a clear picture is already forming of YUTA’s story, one that dwells in moments of triumph and turmoil alike. There are no shortcuts to any rebirth worth having! 

“Save You”

In the third song, “Save You,” YUTA goes from saying, “No matter / I will be here for you now” to “No matter / If I live or die, I’ll save you.” Another lyric is edited to sound more dire: from “an inescapable fear I have to face” to “An inescapable fear breaking down.” The lyrics get more dramatic, but they also get more determined. They make the stakes sound higher at the same time as they signify YUTA’s resolve to take the higher-risk but higher-reward route. He decides to “Break free like a shooting star,” and his sense of conviction is compounded by his yells and the intense percussion.

“BAD EUPHORIA”

The subject of “BAD EUPHORIA” is a metaphorical “forbidden flavor” that YUTA craves. He blames a toxic lover for making him feel trapped and finds multiple ways to state the same conclusion. He would rather “rot in prison” if the alternative is being unable to spread his wings and take risks: “Might even forget how to fly… I think it’s better to rot in prison;” “A teaser with an obvious ending?... I think it’s better to rot in prison.” 

Just like “Save You,” there are layers to this song. Some shed light on increased self-confidence, and some indicate lingering fear and doubt. But most often, the latter mindset is turned into the former one; nerves are channeled into ambition. Again, from the screams to the reverberations, sonic nuances bring to life YUTA’s complex feelings about taking every chance he can, despite still-to-come turbulence that is foreshadowed by the use of a prisoner analogy.

“PRISONER”

“PRISONER” is the most emblematic B-side of what makes Depth such a strong album. First of all, the instrumentation has extra details (most distinguishably, a squishy synth) that could easily sound out-of-place but somehow do not; the details add to the song’s stickiness. Second of all, the lyrics parallel those of the previous songs, offering a recap of the album’s themes so far: seeking freedom (“Gonna touch the blue sky”), forgiving his past self (“Even if I’m innocent / I’m bound by a chain / But never gonna give it up / So just be myself”), and putting blame on a toxic lover (“You love to watch me bleed / A terribly twisted prison of love”). Third of all, everything from the vocal filter choices to the instrumental ones work together to generate ebbs and flows that align with the turbulent and calm waves of life about which YUTA sings. Both the times when sounds are pulled back (especially in the pre-choruses) and the times when sounds are added are timed perfectly to make busy and quiet moments share the emotional heft. The perfect finishing touch is the outro: “Believe in myself,” he repeats a handful of times, sounding distant as drums lead him out.

“Goodbye”

The distant sound that ends “PRISONER” is similar to the far-off siren that starts off  “Goodbye.” A hint of apprehension is felt in the string-focused pre-chorus, but a sense of it being too late to turn back comes from the echoing voices, guitars, and drums that surround YUTA’s voice. Like “PRISONER,” “Goodbye” ends with a strong restatement of the bottom line: YUTA is ready to “say goodbye” to the old him and all it entails.

“Butterfly - Depth Ver.”

“Butterfly - Depth Ver.” is an all-too-brief but otherwise outstanding song. It captures the thematic layers of the tracks that precede it and reinforces Depth’s overarching message. YUTA shows both vulnerability (“Wandering in a dream just while crying”) and inner strength (“We gotta fight now… No matter what anyone says”). He shows stamina and determination, both through his words and his delivery, which grows more solid yet more strained as the song unfolds. Most meaningfully, he captures the nuances of butterfly symbolism. 

He sings about finding tremendous inner strength after taking a leap of faith and spreading his wings, and he describes himself as a fragile creature: “We who walked through the pain… Spread our wings to the sky / We’ll fly away, we’ll fly again.” The sonic equivalent of a butterfly comes across in his voice’s fragility in the beginning, the innocence implied by the Peter Pan-referencing intro (“I wish I could go to Neverland”), and the divine and delicate nature of the topics he sings about, like faith. But as much as a butterfly represents fragility and innocence, it also represents resilience through change, emerging out of one’s comfort zone (one’s self-made “cocoon”), and staying hopeful enough to always find it worthwhile to “fly again.” This variety is what makes neither his most frustrated yell nor his most soaring “Whoooo!” sound out of place here. Is this song a cry for help or a joyful cheer? Like other songs on Depth, it is both and then some!

Conclusion

Just like how a larva that turns into a butterfly is still the same creature, YUTA’s songs show how he is irreversibly changed for the better but remains the same person he always was. He captures the agony and ecstasy of taking leaps of faith, freeing oneself from thought confines, and finding virtue in vulnerability. Like a butterfly, the Depth listening experience is particularly meaningful and beneficial for those who stop to fully take in its fleeting yet stunning presence.

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