It’s been a pretty lousy year for J-pop, but my favorite acts have actually remained pretty reliable. We’ve seen highlights from Ryugujo, Genic and Kis-My-Ft2, and co-ed group One Love One Heart has recently been churning out solid material as well. Best of all, they finally seem eager to draw upon their biggest strength: the blend of many different vocal tones and colors.
New single Bagucchau Ne does this better than any of their recent work. The entire song unfolds as a sprightly duet — almost a call-and-response between the male and female members. In fact, the voices are so intertwined that the agency has released individual male and female versions of the track with one gender’s lines omitted so that the listener can sing those parts as a karaoke duet. I love this vocal interplay and the fact that the entire song is sung in harmony. This isn’t an easy thing to do and One Love One Heart have become quite adept at the approach.
Adding to that strength, Bagucchau Ne is a very engaging song on its own merits. It unfolds at an incredibly brisk pace and keeps that energy going for three and a half minutes. Both the verses and chorus are performed in rapid-fire phrasing, upping the ante as exuberant brass accents the indie-dance instrumental. We’re offered the briefest of reprieves during the ending flourish of each chorus, but the song never takes a proper breath. This insistent drive is addictive and suits the group’s youthful energy well. It’s like a musical game of chicken, each line daring the next to go bigger and bolder until the track can’t take it any more.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
