Q&A: Sarina’s “Toast to the Broken” is a Pop-Punk Love Letter to Reckless Youth
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
Photography Credit: Lewis Mirrett
THE POP-PUNK POWERHOUSE YOU’VE BEEN WAITING FOR—Tokyo’s rising punk-pop sensation Sarina is ushering in a new wave of hard-hitting music with her latest single, “Toast to the Broken.” Fusing the raw, angst-laced energy of early 2010s pop-punk with her own fiercely emotive style, Sarina is carving out space for outliers and rebels who feel lost in the noise of conformity. With this track—the debut single off her upcoming EP—she steps into the spotlight with a voice that’s unafraid to scream, ache, and defy.
Known for putting a unique spin on the nostalgic edge of pop-punk, Sarina delivers “Toast to the Broken” with rage-filled vocals and cathartic instrumentation, proving that she’s not here to blend in—she’s here to erupt. Teaming up with Kevin Thrasher, former guitarist of Escape the Fate, the track becomes a full-throttle anthem for those who live in the gray areas of growing up, self-discovery and emotional chaos.
“With ‘Toast to the Broken,’ I was inspired by reckless youth—the way we cope when we’re still learning how to navigate life and our emotions,” Sarina says exclusively to Luna Collective. “When we’re young, we tend to make decisions based on what we’re feeling at the moment. Sometimes that means chasing a different feeling just to avoid the one we’re in. Whether it’s through people, partying, or whatever our less-than-healthy coping mechanisms might be, especially in your early twenties when your prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet—it’s all about survival in that moment. You’re not thinking long-term; you’re just trying not to feel something right now.”
That emotional rawness is captured in the song’s anthemic rock sound—explosive guitars, crashing drums, and a vocal performance that feels like an open wound. The result is a rallying cry for anyone who’s ever felt like they didn’t belong, sung from the edge of the pit with fire and vulnerability.
“Ultimately, my process is rooted in emotion,” Sarina adds. “I ask myself: What feeling do I want to evoke? And how can I best bring that to life sonically?”
With “Toast to the Broken,” Sarina does exactly that—she creates a soundscape that’s both nostalgic and forward-thinking, rebellious and reflective. Sarina is here to make noise for the people who feel like they don’t fit anywhere, who live with too many feelings and not enough words. Her upcoming EP promises to dive even deeper into that space, but for now, “Toast to the Broken” stands tall as an anthem for anyone trying to make sense of a world that often makes no sense at all.
Photography Credit: Lewis Mirrett
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
SARINA: When it comes to my artistic style, I’m mostly inspired by life—by experiences and emotions. I write a lot, whether it’s lyrics for a song or just random lines that resonate with me. More often than not, the sound and style of a piece evolve from whatever I’ve written. If a line comes with a melody, I’ll start there and ask myself: What does this song mean? What kind of sound will really capture the emotion I’m trying to express?
For example, with “Toast to the Broken,” I was inspired by reckless youth—the way we cope when we’re still learning how to navigate life and our emotions. When we’re young, we tend to make decisions based on what we’re feeling at the moment. Sometimes that means chasing a different feeling just to avoid the one we’re in. Whether it’s through people, partying, or whatever our less-than-healthy coping mechanisms might be, especially in your early twenties when your prefrontal cortex isn’t fully developed yet—it’s all about survival in that moment. You’re not thinking long-term; you’re just trying not to feel something right now. That’s the energy I wanted to capture in “Toast to the Broken,” and to me, that anthemic rock sound really matched the intensity of that experience. Ultimately, my process is rooted in emotion. I ask myself: What feeling do I want to evoke? And how can I best bring that to life sonically?
LUNA: What is the ideal environment to experience your music? Is there a particular setting, mood, or time of day that enhances the listening experience?
SARINA: I think that everyone takes in music differently, so what is going to impact a person is going to differ per person. For me, I love listening to music while I'm walking, so I like listening to “Toast” while I'm walking, so I feel like a badass. This is a revolutionary cause, and it just feels cool and other people just vibe to it.
LUNA: You just released your newest single “Toast to the Broken” and I love the cathartic and raw energy behind the track. Can you talk about what inspired this track and what it means to you personally?
SARINA: “Toast to the Broken” is definitely an anthem song for a lot of the lost souls in the world, particularly my older Gen Z generation of we're not really millennials, but we're also not really Gen Z, so we're in this weird middle era trying to figure out life, especially right now, when things are really up in the air and everything feels really overwhelming. “Toast to the Broken” is supposed to be this marching song. This is where we are in life, and things are hard and things are confusing, but I'm going to deal with that in whatever way I can.
LUNA: What was it like working with Kevin Thrasher on this track? How did that collaboration come about and what did he bring to your sound?
SARINA: Kevin is awesome. He is totally a master of his craft. It was so easy to work with him. I feel like we talk about music very similarly, so it was really easy to get across what I meant when I was talking about the sound I wanted when I said it was an anthem song. He got it, and it was a total dream working with him. I'm super excited for the music we're working on now.
Photography Credit: Lewis Mirrett
LUNA: Your music channels the energy of early 2010s pop-punk but with a sharp, modern edge. Who were some of the artists or bands that first got you into the genre?
SARINA: I started listening to that early 2010, pop-punk sound when I was like 13, as many people do when they're getting into their emo phase. For me, it was a lot of My Chemical Romance, Panic! At The Disco, Paramore, Avril Lavigne and Blink-182. I think for a long time, that's always been a genre that I really resonated with, that mix of hard edge of rock, but the palatability of slightly more popular music. I think especially after last year, I liked the versatility of pop-punk and I like the versatility of that whole genre, because on the one hand, you'll have songs from My Chemical Romance, like “Cancer” that are these really evocative, emotional pieces, and then you'll have songs like Girlfriend” from Avril Lavigne that are technically the same genre, but completely different vibes.
LUNA: How do you think your Tokyo upbringing has influenced your take on punk-pop, especially compared to the Western scene?
SARINA: I think growing up in Tokyo, we've always really liked that sound. Avril Lavigne is huge here. She's very popular. It's rock, but it still has a pop feel to it. A lot of J-Rock is like that. You'll see a lot of anime openings that have that energy to it. I love anime, and I still do because music also impacted me. Growing up, I listened mostly to Western bands, apart from the anime openings that I liked. Maybe it was the novelty of these people who are from here that drew me to them in a way.
LUNA: “Toast to the Broken” is the debut single from your upcoming EP—what can fans expect from the rest of the project? Will it stay in the same sonic lane or surprise us?
SARINA: It's definitely a step up from my last EP Breakout! Expect to hear really cool, evocative songs that feel a bit more mature and grown up because I'm a bit more mature and more grown up, especially at my age. My personality is still developing. I'm still figuring out who I am, as I think a lot of my listeners are, and that's why I connect so much with my demographic, is that we're growing at the same time, and so I hope that they can resonate with that in this upcoming EP.
LUNA: I would love to touch more on the upcoming EP. Are there any personal stories or experiences that shaped the writing of this EP?
SARINA: There's so many. What I said before about being inspired by life itself is and the music all comes from things I felt at one point or another. I have some songs that are about dealing with body image and self loathing. I have songs about interpersonal relationships and the role I play in other people's stories and how that affects me, and then songs about how I feel in the world right now, with how accessible comparisons are nowadays, how easily we can look at someone else who's done more with less time, and take that as a statement of personal worth. There's definitely a wide range of vibes to choose from with this upcoming EP. I hope that people, regardless of which one they resonate most with, resonate with at least one of them, because I definitely resonate with every song we're putting out there.
LUNA: If you could play a dream show anywhere in the world, where would it be and who would you want on the lineup with you?
SARINA: I love performing. I love being on stage. I love connecting with an audience and the band, so it's hard to say what a dream stage would be—because every time I get on stage, I'm living a dream. I love artists. I love people that live their truth through their sound, so I'd be open to working with anyone who embodied that.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
SARINA: I’m feeling really excited. I'm feeling really hopeful. I've been having so much fun with this new vibe, this slightly more me branding and everything feels really good. I love the music I'm making. I love every song I've made, but I think this one in particular has a spot in my heart, because it makes me feel very cool. I was a weird loner kit most of my life, so feeling cool is a nice vibe. I want to thank everyone for listening to what I've put out so far, and I hope they're as excited for this next era as I am, and I look forward to dealing with more cool things that I hope people will like.
Photography Credit: Lewis Mirrett
