HANABIE's first album signed to a major label is brilliant!

 

HANABIE have done it again. 

After thoroughly enjoying their first album, Otome Saikaku, I was extremely excited and hyped when they announced their second album, Raise Wa Ijin! Of course, I did have some concerns regarding the fact that this album was made under the major music label, Sony's Epic Records Japan. Also of concern for me was the change in producer as I had really enjoyed just how slick Gaku Taura's production was on Otome Saikaku (Although, he is credited as co-producing/arranging Warning!!). Yuyoyuppe's proudction is often very electronic heavy and not always to my personal taste. That being said, I think that Raise wa Ijin is a fantastic album, so let's go through track by track. 

Raise wa Ijin begins with Blast Off. Blast Off is purely an opening track in every sense of the word. It's mostly an instrumental filled with catchy electronic beats and a repeating electronic vocal part that joins the beat towards the end. I didn't mind it as much as I don't usually like electronic music and makes for a good introduction to the sci-fi feeling of the album. 

Next up things get heavy with Hyper dimension Galaxy. I love the harsh vocals from Yukina, including the short and sweet little hype intro. The guitar riffs are heavy, the drum beats are fast and slick and there's some really neat synth and electronic work. I love how the electronic parts compliment Yukina's harsh vocals leading into the chorus. The chorus itself is fantastic as Matsuri's clean vocals shine brightly and I like the fact that the electronic parts get subdued to emphasise her voice. I also love how Matsuri's extended chorus closes out the song. 

NEET GAME follows Hyper dimension Galaxy. This track of course had been released back in 2022, a year before the album came out. It was essentially a taste of their upcoming sound and the beginning of their work with producer, Yuyoyuppe. It's another heavy banger filled with loud electronics, snappy guitar riffs and some excellent harsh vocals from Yukina. I love the sheer brutality of the breakdown and the chorus has a great flow. Not one of my favourites, but still a solid song. 

Then the album gives us the catchiest track yet with BE The Gal ~Summer ver.~. This is definitely a track to dance to with a very catchy chorus and fun beat. The electronics (Especially the synths) and instrumentation blend seamlessly to give off a summery, almost pop-metal party vibe that reminds me of Maximum The Hormone's Koi no Mega Lover. There's some exceptional guitar work from Matsuri, including a wonderful solo and a thumping breakdown. Of course the heavy sections with Yukina's harsh vocals stand out and give it a much more brutal metal sound and I love her saying "What The Fuck?" with her cute voice. The lyrics are also great, with them focusing on how difficult it is to blend in and then telling you that it's alright to stand out and do things your own way. 

Tales of a Villain is next and I have to see that it is possibly my favourite track on the entire album. The track opens with slow electronic work before Yukina unleashes a tremendous scream, such a great way to open the song. Then it gets majestically heavy with beastly guitar riffs, excellent fast paced drumming and a killer bass line. Again, the slowdown into the beautiful guitar work from Matsuri and the song really is an excellent showcase of both vocalists work. The ending stretch is wonderfully melodic as Matsuri's angelic voice carries us to the end. The much more subdued electronics worked much better than on other songs. 

Warning!! This track is sheer brutality and opens rather cutely with Yukina using her kawaii voice before the instrumentation smashes us in the face with heaviness. More brutal riffage, excellent drumming and great bass work are this songs highlights before I have bring up the questionable synth intermission. Of course, Matsuri's angelic voice narration in English is pleasant to listen to, but was the synth section really necessary? I don't think it was. 

Things change drastically with the next track. In a neat change of pace, ME, The Ultimate Invader of the Universe, breaks away from the heaviness of the previous 5 tracks. This is essentially an electronic pop track that serves as a short intermission before things get heavy once again. It also serves as a means to highlight Hettsu's vocal talents. It is nice to hear the bassist have some time to shine, but this track was my least favourite as it isn't my kind of music. 

TOUSOU opens up with what sounds like a public service announcement or rather an earthquake warning, which I thought was neat. Pure chaos envelopes the listener as there's a lot going on throughout the track including sirens. The verses are in full on sprint mode which is very fitting considering the title of the song is TOUSOU. Yukina's screams are on point and she goes back and forth between screaming and using her kawaii voice. Matsuri's voice is once again delightful as her delivery in the chorus is so smooth and I like Yukina's small backing screams between Matsuri's sentences. The lyrics for the last part of the song are lovely too, being about changing for the better. My issue with the track is that it may be overproduced and the electronics are a little much. I would have liked for the guitar to be louder, but that's just personal taste. 

Osakinishitsurei Shimasu is another track that was released as a single before the album came out. I love the traditional instrumental sound that enhances the metal. As I mentioned in my previous HANABIE blog posts, I love how Yukina uses her kawaii voice to excuse herself using the song's title in the pre-chorus before her harsh vocals in the chorus kicks in. It's such a cool contrast and the fact that Matsuri doesn't sing the chorus using her angelic cleans for once is a neat changeup. It also dealt with the important topic of having to conform to societal and workplace expectations and how it's ok to say no to certain things that you don't want to be forced to do. 

The album ends with the greatly named Today's Good Day and So Epic. It opens with a cool, dark bass riff before Yukina's kawaii voice brings in the heavy guitar riff and thumping drums. Yukina's harsh vocals invoke similarities with certain Maximum The Hormone songs and Daisuke's work in particular, that's a good thing. The guitar work in the chorus is delightful and accompanies Matsuri's cleans well. The much more subdued electronic work once again elevates this track into being one of my favourites. 

Overall, the album is my favourite release of 2023 and will be put on repeat for a long time alongside the rest of HANABIE's discography. Despite my issues with some of the production regarding the volume of the guitar work and the abundance of electronic sounds, I still really like it and think that the band can and will become big worldwide. Here's to HANABIE achieving international success!