You Ever Just Listen to Music? #4
Featuring Lisa, AKB48, Red Velvet, Chuu, Megan Thee Stallion, Habu Mizuho and TWS!
Big week! I went to see Free Throw close out their tour and had a blast, reminding me that they’re one of the best fourth wave emo bands once again. Lots of things to talk about on the new releases front, some maybe too in-depth. Several things had to be left on the cutting room floor for time purposes, but I may come back to talk about some of them in the future. The new releases by Lupe Fiasco, Sakurazaka46, and Suzuki Mamiko are all worth a look, I just need more time with them. On with the show!
Singles:
Lisa - Rockstar:
I’m very mixed on Lisa’s solo debut Lalisa, but right from the jump this is working better for me than her debut did. Beyond the gorgeous music video the production is more than serviceable, with the Tame Impala sample adding very nicely to what’s around it, and Lisa’s bars aren’t masterpieces but range much more fun than annoying here. It’s a step-up that I hope gets capitalized on soon.
AKB48 - Koi Tsunjatta
“I thought this love was sure, thought it would never break, holding onto memories, I lost sight of the present and future.” One of my Twitter mutuals (thanks, Christina) described this song as being about the uncertainty of a fan’s relationship with AKB48, and under that lens I started to latch onto this song much harder. It was an idea I couldn’t get out of my head. It’s too perfect, the first song of AKB48’s new era (I lost track of how many “New Eras” they’ve had in the last like, 5 years) and it could be a whole allegory for lapsed fandom under the guise of a breakup song? In that context, there’s something inherently relatable about Koi Tsunjatta. I could call myself a “lapsed fan” of AKB48. I was a huge fan of AKB48. I stayed up till 5am to watch them perform for two minutes on live TV music shows, multiple times. I spent way too much time playing their mobile games and watching old AKBingo episodes. Then my favorite member Okada Nana left the group and that faded away. I told myself I would stick around as a fan even after she left, because I liked the group and not just her and it still faded away. But with all the online friendships I made through liking AKB, they still stayed around in my mind and in my life. I still kept up with the big news of what was happening with them even as my attention went elsewhere. I do wonder what it would’ve been like if I left everything about this interest I had behind after Nana’s graduation, if I got off the social media that connected me to other people who liked this same idol group that I did, if the relationship truly broke off like what the song describes. But….that didn’t happen. A lot still happened after Nana left. I watched the legendary member Kashiwagi Yuki graduate on livestream. I still checked out Girls Drive. I’ve listened to every new single that came out since Nana left. I still retweet memes about them, and subconsciously do the onigiri hand motion from Koisuru Fortune Cookie, and mumble the High Tension rap under my breath and imagine what it would be like to see their Theater in real life. I don’t have the passionate obsession I did before but I sure as fuck realize that I’m not so much of a lapsed fan after all. Just like every other person I’ve seen on my Twitter timeline say they’re finished with AKB before the next shiny new thing from them comes along and they forget all about what happened, maybe this song did that for me too. Guess I’ll take one more shot at falling in love after all.
Mini-Albums:
TWS - SUMMER BEAT:
I had taken some light interest in TWS based on their debut from this year, a bright and fluffy set of songs that came out during a dead zone for k-pop releases (late January.) They seemed to float under the radar in English-speaking circles while lighting the charts on fire back home in Korea with the title track Plot Twist, a song where the main synth melody has been stuck in my head for half a year at this point and still manages to give me the warm fuzzies every time. The songs on SUMMER BEAT continue down much the same trend of upbeat youthful songs that the debut did, but it sadly rounds out to diminishing returns as much of what’s here is sorely lacking the hooks that the debut did. It’s not bad, just fairly rote teen pop that rarely strives for any strong impressions. The pulsing beats and precious vocals of Fire Confetti are actually pretty great though, and stand up to the best of their debut nicely even if it’s a bit short for my liking. I just wish the rest of the album had the same spark Fire Confetti did.
Red Velvet - Cosmic:
At first, Red Velvet’s 10th anniversary comeback Cosmic was a solid but ultimately sort of forgettable release beyond the very pretty music video for the title track, but further listens proved this was really a grower. The glitzy dance-pop of said title track Cosmic is well-produced but rides so much on its hook, settling in nicely in my brain after a few listens. The distorted bass and vocals on Sunflower sell me so hard on an already plenty catchy chorus. I’m liking Love Arcade’s playfulness even if the chorus needed longer to stick with me. As expected for a Red Velvet release, their incredible vocal ability of all five girls do a lot of the heavy lifting here. Even the tracks I’m not as into like Bubble will always have that to hold them down. A fine outing from Red Velvet that has some really great elements in the mix even if it doesn’t go all the way with them into something truly memorable.
Chuu - Strawberry Rush:
Of the 4 different projects that rose from the hiatus of Loona, it was Chuu’s solo work that had captured me the most. Last year’s Howl became the post-Loona album I came back to as a whole, with each song sounding perfectly linked to the other to make a very cohesive whole. Even if some of the other projects had higher highs, I was the most interested in Chuu’s follow up. Strawberry Rush doesn’t disappoint in this regard. The title track is the most upbeat of the bunch here, and certainly more so than the songs on Howl without being overwhelming. It’s an adorable love song with some bubbly rap sections that got stuck in my head quick. Honeybee is similarly addicting with Chuu’s cutesy buzzing sounds as she sings a love song from a honeybee’s perspective, the mix of dancey drum-and-bass with bossa nova only adding to the quirky charm. Daydreamer and Lucid Dream on the other hand feel like they could’ve slotted in nicely on Chuu’s last mini-album, laid-back dreamy R&B driven by the pretty vocal deliveries. Valentine’s Day digital single Chocolate finds its way onto Strawberry Rush along with its English version to close things off, and the bouncy neo-disco raps are just as addicting now as they were then. Chuu’s going two for two in her new solo career, making a name for herself with calm yet bubbly pop songs that get stuck to you more and more with every listen.
Habu Mizuho - Reboot:
While I’d never say I was a diehard fan of Keyakizaka46, I liked their songs quite a bit and I took notice of their member Habu Mizuho quickly after finding out about the group, a quirky short-haired girl who loved games and anime with a strong female fanbase. Even after I stopped following their songs sometime after the name change to Sakurazaka46, I was always happy to see Habu whenever she showed up with the rest of the members on music shows I was watching or when a cool selfie she took ended up on my social media feeds. I was quite sad to see her graduate the group last year, but happy that she quickly rebounded into solo music with this first EP. I really like Habu’s high-pitched, autotuned vocals as they glide all throughout Reboot. Title track Reboot is a wonderful electropop song with a pretty piano melody carrying things alongside Habu’s colorful vocals. The EP does trail off in the second half, but the first three songs are worth the price of admission. I’m interested in seeing how she’ll carry this sound into a full album, but there’s plenty of promise as is.
Albums:
7th Jet Balloon - 7th Jet Balloon:
DIY record label Ungulates is one that I have nothing but respect for. Their M.O. is being at the forefront of Japanese emo, signing many rising stars like downt, Kudaranai 1Nichi, soccer, as a sketch pad and the subject of this review 7th Jet balloon. After several EPs comes their self-titled debut album, with a pretty funny callback to the Tigers Jaw debut for a cover. The music itself is an infectious blend of midwest emo and scuffed pop-punk begging for sing-alongs at shows. After the intro, the song 7 gets the album off on the right track with some impressive steady drumming and catchy vocals before the breakdowns towards the end keeps the song structure interesting. The energy mostly keeps up throughout but the sparser parts on songs like Nice Road are still pulled off nicely. The highlights are towards the end of the record with Grand Slam, a collaboration with labelmates as a sketch pad, and the irresistible fun of their cover of Origami Angel’s 24 Hr Drive Thru. Origami Angel have undoubtedly paved a way for an entire generation of DIY emo bands to follow, and this tribute does them justice. 7th Jet Balloon are certainly ones to watch now.
Megan Thee Stallion - Megan:
Damn this is so much fun! I was intimidated by this project’s length at 56 minutes but as my first real dive into Megan’s universe this was a great start. The main reason I wanted to check this album out however were two eye-catchers on the tracklist, Otaku Hot Girl and Chiba Yuki-starring Mamushi. It’s really cool to see Megan platforming one of the hottest names in Japanese rap at the moment on Mamushi after his certified banger Team Tomodachi went internationally viral this year (I heard Tomodachi on Space Shower a few months back and it hasn’t left my brain since, great song.) Chiba’s deadpan bars add a nice counterbalance to Megan’s heavily Japanese-flavored brag raps about her money, her looks and getting fucked up at nightclubs. Otaku Hot Girl sampling Itadori Yuji’s English voice actor saying that Megan has a big ass should make it mandatory in every publication’s year-end songs list, but the song’s constant barrage of shounen manga references throughout are an absolute joy otherwise. There’s a lot more to love on this record like Figueroa or the surprising late-album indie-pop of Worthy, but the things I came to the record for delivered and everything else was a nice icing on top.