Music in the Mollusk Era: The Good, Bad, Great, and- Wait, Yanagi, stop, DON'T KILL NIA!!!

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Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Fandom:

Splatoon (Video Games)

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Language:

English

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Published:: 2026-02-16
Updated:: 2026-04-26
Words:: 5,743
Chapters:: 4/?
Comments:: 7
Kudos:: 10
Bookmarks:: 1
Hits:: 79

DKPill

Summary:

Welcome to the world of modern music. You all probably already know the stories of how Squid Squad broke up, how C-Side is persistent in claiming that they were the true authors of Now or Never!, and how Yanagi of Riot Act almost killed her bandmate. What you don't know is exactly what went on behind the scenes to get there. That is what I will be revealing to you all over the next while.

More tags will be added as we go, and I reserve the right to change the rating at any time.

Notes:

Born from my need for more Splatband fics and my favorite character's unfortunate status of only having 15 fics to her name. The basic idea behind this fic is fleshing out and providing new perspectives on existing splatband lore, and then slowly drifting into an AU and eventually a proper overarching plot. I've got a loose plan for the fic, but at first this will most definitely feel more like a series of loosely connected one-shots and multi-shots. Just bear with me as I figure out how exactly I want to get where I want to go. Also, this is my first fic I'm posting to AO3! *confetti*

Chapter 1: Chapter 0: Some things before you start

Chapter Text

Welcome to the world of modern music. You all probably already know the stories of how Squid Squad broke up, how C-Side is persistent in claiming that they were the true authors of Now or Never!, and how Yanagi of Riot Act almost killed her bandmate. What you don't know is exactly what went on behind the scenes to get there. That is what I will be revealing to you all over the next while.

First of all, some housekeeping items about these bands and their members for those who don't know a thing about splatbands (and for those who know a few). Feel free to skip this if you want. If you're new and want a more "canon" version of this (whatever that means), go read Haikara Walker's summaries of each of these bands. (But don't actually, Nijimasuya has a tendency to get a ton of stuff mixed up, and the guy isn't even an industry expert! What right does HE have to be writing an exclusive article in the city's biggest fashion and pop culture magazine. WHO LET HIM DO THAT?!?!?!?)

The Squid Sisters

Consisting of the two pop idol sensations Callie and Marie, The Squid Sisters dominated the mainstream music scene in the latter half of the Mollusk Era's 2010s. These two cousins (not sisters) are known most wildly for their biggest hit, Calamari Inkantation. Surprisingly, the hit is in actuality a reimagination of a traditional folk song. After dropping their first album in June of 2014 (known simply as The Squid Sisters), their popularity exploded. The cousins, who are Inkopolis natives, gained the prestigious position of hosting Inkopolis news just under a year after their first album, and proceeded to host it every weekday until July of 2017.

Their popularity saw its peak in July of 2016, when they managed to reach the 8th spot on international charts with their hit single Maritime Memory. This achievement, combined with buzz around the 16th Inkadian Splatfest, propelled them to new heights, paving the way for Spicy Calamari Inkantation to top the charts the year after. They have since slowed down in terms of performances and song releases, only releasing a couple singles and remixes in the past five years. However, both Callie and Marie remain active in the music scene. The pair has partnered with the Splatlandian group Deep Cut in the production of Calamari Inkantation 3-Mix, and grouped up with Deep Cut's DJ, Big Man, in the production of their most recent original song, Liquid Sunshine. Recently, they have also branched out beyond their idol work. Callie has solidified herself as a lyricist, working behind the scenes on quite a few major projects. Conversely, Marie has been testing the waters as a composer.

Squid Squad

There isn't a single inkling in Inkopolis who hasn't at least heard a song by Squid Squad. Despite being on (what seems to be a permanent) hiatus, the band has produced some of the most popular songs of all time. From Splattack to Now or Never!, even if you've never heard of them, you've most definitely heard one of their songs. Ever since rising to popularity in early 2012, while most of its members were still in high school, the band has been an icon of modern Inkadian culture. The steady yet passionate rhythm of Murasaki and Ikkan, the eccentric production and keyboarding of Nami, and of course, the fiery riffs and vocals of Ichiya. Every show they performed after 2014 was instantly sold out, and the band was often forced to avoid public appearances for fear of attracting a mob of fans.

Sometime in 2017, Ichiya and Ikkan had a massive fight about the songwriting process, ending with both of them shooting eachother in the head. Though the band has been branded as "on hiatus" instead of broken up for good, when asked about the possibility of a reunion with Squid Squad, Ikkan said "that's a good question," then left the room, never to return. Now the fanbase of the band is split four ways. Some choose to treat Squid Squad's Successor, Front Roe, as the authentic Squid Squad discovering themselves. Some choose to take Ikkan's side and instead follow his duo with the internationally famous Warabi, known as Dis-Pair. And some just listen to what sounds good. (There's also the people who actually believe that Squid Squad will come off of their "hiatus," but those people have been listening to Splattack on loop for the past decade and need to seek mental help.)

Chirpy Chips

Coming from seemingly out of nowhere, in August of 2015 the Chirpy Chips rocketed into the Inkopolis Top 40 with their first album, ABXY, and followed it up with topping the charts two more times, once in April of 2018, and yet again in December of 2023. How do they do it? Invent a style so unique, outlandish, and new that not a single teen in inkopolis can resist calling it fresh. The band is headed not by their lead vocalist, Harmony, but by their bassist, Orion. Before starting Chirpy Chips, Orion was a well known chiptune producer for indie video games going for that "retro vibe." It wasn't until the band's future lead guitarist, Clash, approached Orion about the prospect of starting a band that a lightbulb went off. In that fateful moment, the idea of chiptune rock was born. After picking up world-renowned crab drummer, Sid, and the fan-favorite spacey anemone vocalist, Harmony, Chirpy Chips was born. The group makes consistent live performances to this day, and Harmony has allegedly saved a beloved Splatlandian general store from going bankrupt by canceling its monthly orders of 500,000 etch-a-sketches.

Hightide Era

While this comparatively obscure piano rock band has not quite reached the heights of popularity enjoyed by the other bands mentioned thus far, they were a major inspiration for Ink Theory and have a small but loyal following. (Loyal bordering insane. They call themselves Eralians, and will eat me alive then sacrifice my bones to their gods if I fail to pay my respects.)

Debuting just after the Chirpy Chips in August of 2015, Hightide Era brought some fresh sounds to the early indie scene of the Inkopolis Backstreets. The members had actually formed a busking group well before their debut album, starting with their fusilier pianist/vocalist Taka trying to find a “new side of music” by playing on streets across the world. Soon, Kuze, the stonefish drummer and fashion designer, joined up with Taka after hearing a particularly interesting performance. He was followed by the herring, Nishida, seeking an interesting way to use his guitar skills. Eventually, the group gathered a large enough fanbase to self-produce and self-publish their first album: Rising Waters, Falling Flow, which tells the story of a human just before their extinction, and then parallels that story to the Great Turf War. There’s a reason why this group is widely acclaimed: they may not be large, but they certainly talk about big things.

They have been less active in recent years, only occasionally performing at assorted livehouses across Inkopolis. However, Nishida’s “New Form” music school venture saw its first graduating class in 2023, and Taka has given costume design consulting to a vast array of underground rock bands.

Bob Dub

This reggae one hit wonder is known for their massive hit, Dubble Bath, which turf war goers listened to for years to calm down nerves before a battle. For some reason, after the trio attended a rave in the Deepsea Metro, their music disappeared from streaming services, piracy websites, CDs, magnetic tapes, MP3 players, hard drives, and stores. All that remained on their socials was an ominous message: “Gone to the Spirhalite Islands to seek some true vibes. Will be back”

Off the Hook

If the Squid Sisters laid the foundation for Inkadian music to take the world by storm, then Off the Hook is the house atop that foundation. Consisting of the spunky, energetic rapper, Pearl and the well composed, orderly octoling DJ, Marina, this duo has defined the pop music of the late 2010’s and early 2020’s. You would not expect a mix of traditional orderly Octarian motifs, known to almost force its listeners to wake up at 6:00 AM, and the chaotic hip-hop styles of the Inkadian underground, known to keep people awake until 6 AM, to gain international acclaim and popularity. However, against all odds Off the Hook has done just that. When the duo released their first single, Ebb and Flow, it almost instantly shot to the #1 spot in the Inkopolis Top 40. Invigorated by this success, the duo dropped their first album, Inkopolis Hooked, in the summer of 2017. From that point on, their popularity skyrocketed. They gained the position of hosting Inkopolis news from the moment the Squid Sisters left, and, after returning from their world tour, continue to host it to this day. Considering this, it wasn't surprising when the duo topped the international charts in 2018 with their hit single, Into the Light.

Propelled by the massive profits generated by the 40th Inkadian splatfest, the duo was able to justify a world tour. While on tour, the duo has continued to release songs, branching out into a variety of new styles. They have partnered with critically acclaimed deep-sea DJ, Dedf1sh, in the production of #47: Onward and have also partnered with a collection of internet and studio musicians, known as Damp Socks, in the making of their latest EP, Tentacle to the Metal.