The Submerged creates a narrative lyrical progression through the EP Fabrica, with each song serving as a vehicle to discuss aspects of memory, longing, and contemplation about the world progressing forward into uncertain spaces. Though the six tracks vary in tone and form, the lyrical content unifies through the exploration of ideas about time, space, and personal identity. The Submerged creates a lyrical exploration through the Fabrica EP with a simplistic quality that allows the emotional content to naturally arise. Rather than a fluid narrative progression, Fabrica seems to be a collection of moments scattered across the same emotional space, with moments of past experiences, fleeting moments with other people, and uncertain futures blending together.

The first track on the Fabrica EP, May Girl (五月の少女), lacks any traditional lyrical content with the vocals instead featuring sounds and scattered syllables. Though the track lacks lyrical content, it serves to set an important tone for the rest of the EP. The Submerged creates a space of emotional preparation through the lack of lyrical content. The vocalizations seem playful yet nostalgic, as if creating a sense of distant memories before they are fully realized. May Girl serves as an almost dreamlike sequence to introduce the listener to the emotional space that will be realized through the subsequent tracks on the Fabrica EP.

In “With Don Quixote” (ドン・キホーテ), the EP transitions into a more straightforward lyrical storytelling format. “The Submerged” is a highly humanistic piece about dreams and perseverance. It’s a song focused on moving forward even when it’s not clear where one is going. There’s an image of rowing a small craft towards the future, and it’s a powerful one because it’s so vulnerable and hopeful. “The Submerged” is a song where dreams are slipping away day after day, but the speaker in the song still believes in tomorrow bringing something worthwhile. What makes this song’s lyrics so compelling is the way in which it handles failure in a straightforward manner, not glamorizing it in any way. Reminiscences of a loved one are kept alive through small acts like gazing up into the sky, indicating that relationships continue to play a role in guiding one’s path forward even after moments have passed.

“The Sleeping Planet” (眠れる惑星) is a highly emotional piece in this EP and marks a shift in tone to a more apprehensive and introspective mood. “The Submerged” is a song that explores feelings of alienation in modern society, and it’s a piece where a wanderer moves through a desolate cityscape. There’s a repeated theme in this piece where it’s “too early” for everything, and it’s a curious effect because it’s as if time itself has stopped. It’s a feeling of being suspended between moments, and it’s a metaphor for a larger uncertainty in terms of purpose and direction.

In the song “Sleeping Planet,” the themes of surrealism and realism go hand in hand. There are mentions of things like cigarettes, rides, and the internet, but also ideas about the nature of truth and lies. There’s a sense of a world where nothing seems to be what it seems to be, and the speaker of the song isn’t sure what to believe. However, there’s also a sense of strength. “The Submerged” is a song about a person who’s still walking, breathing, and looking around the world despite the fact that they feel overwhelmed by it. There’s also the idea of competition, as the song speaks to a graveyard of other people’s accomplishments. Instead of getting defeated by this, the speaker seems to find a way to think about it.

“Green River” again changes the mood in the atmosphere, this time to a more contemplative mood. “The Submerged” is a song focused on the difference between expectation and reality. In “The Submerged,” it is suggested in the early parts of the song that the long-awaited truth or discovery is not as big a deal as it should be. However, this is not done in a bitter way; it is done in a more accepting way. The image of a green river is a symbol of a longing for something pure and far-off, something that represents a truth beyond the confusion of life in general.

However, the repetition of the line “things move slow and they move out of sight” again points to the theme of moments of meaning slipping away. There is also a sense of appreciation in “The Submerged” for life in general, even though it does not meet expectations. There is a blessing of everything in life in “The Submerged,” even in disappointment, and this could be seen as a more mature approach to life in general. There is also a sense of loneliness in “The Submerged,” but also a sense of connection to others through the rhythm of “countless voices in this world,” represented by “thousands of lips playing their instruments in unison.”

“The Submerged” is a turning point in the EP with “Fabrica” (ファブリカ), the title track, because it is more symbolic in its lyrics, though they are also shorter in length. “The Submerged” presents unusual images in life, such as a shark in the daytime or people on a bus not noticing what is going on around them. It is a surreal world where life is not predictable.

In this dream-like state, the act of returning home becomes relevant. “The Submerged” discusses returning home before witnessing meteors in the night sky, indicating that people may leave extraordinary experiences behind in favor of introspection. The reference to unraveling “Fabrica” in bed may also be a commentary on how memory is gradually understood and processed. Eventually, these experiences become a part of history, reflecting how even these experiences are relegated to memory over time. The simplicity of this song also underscores one of the album’s main points: life finds meaning not in extraordinary experiences, but in incremental shifts in perception.

Finally, “Halley’s Comet Night (ハレー彗星の夜)” concludes this EP on a gentle and hopeful note. “The Submerged” is a meditation on memory and reunion, using elements of the sky to illustrate the passage of time. Turning a corner in the morning also represents a new chapter in life, while a blueprint represents a future still in construction.

What makes this song so touching is its focus on connection and relationships. While people may move away and change, the lyrics affirm the possibility of their paths intersecting again in the future. The smell of flowers carried in the evening breeze represents a reminder that memory continues to thrive in subtle ways. “See you tomorrow” becomes a phrase both simple and profound in its expression of hope in relationships and experiences. It is a gentle conclusion to this EP.

Overall, the songs of Fabrica paint a thoughtful picture of life as a process of moving through uncertain places. The Submerged uses motifs like wandering, going home, and looking at the sky to connect the songs with one another. Time is a major theme throughout the lyrics of the EP. Time passes, dreams slip away, and memories gradually change to history. However, the EP does not have a sad or depressing tone. Instead, it celebrates the idea that meaning takes place gradually as we go through our lives.

One of the best themes of Fabrica is the contrast between isolation and connection. Some of the songs portray empty cities or isolation, but they always balance these with a subtle reminder that there is another voice somewhere over the horizon. It may be the memory of someone special, the faint sound of music from somewhere around the world, or the promise of meeting again someday in the future.

This is evident in the lyrics of the Submerged. The use of poetic language is never overly complex. This ensures that the emotions expressed remain clear. The imagery of looking up at the sky, the sound of the delivery chime, or the smell of flowers is used as a symbol of the world in which the listener lives. These images keep the more abstract thoughts grounded.

Fabrica is an EP that feels like a diary entry written during a time of change. The Submerged is concerned with dreams that have altered, cities that no longer feel like home, or memories that continue to shape who the person is. By the time the listener reaches the end of the record with Halley’s Comet Night, the journey has been one of introspection. The listener is shown the hope that is found in the passage of time and the connection of others.

Fabrica is an EP that explores the feeling of being in a place of transition. The listener is given the chance to see the world in a new way through the use of the imagery of the Submerged. The use of the imagery of the Submerged is what makes the record feel so intimate. The record is one that explores the feeling of being unsure of the future. It is a record that celebrates the beauty of the journey.