WowWowWowWowWow, what a wonderful way.
WorldWorldWorldWorldWorld; self supporting evidence of the evolution and livelihood of punk.
First a random suggestion on Apple Music, then further endorsed by Outsidenoise444 (highly recommend checking them out), WorldWorldWorldWorldWorld is the new album by Japanese screamo band sassya-. I won't pretend like I had an inkling of their existence prior to April 13th, so you’re not getting any additional background here. No information presently available online to my eyes. From what I discern, they’ve got a guitarist on vocals, a drummer, and a bassist. Apparently this is their fifth album. This was my first time listening, and it should be yours as well.
I was surprised at first to find out that this is their fifth album, considering the fact it was so great and I had never heard anything prior. But I suppose that it makes quite a bit of sense. Their music has a cleanness I sometimes find lacking from artists who have the means to justify high quality production. I’m a massive lover of the amateur, grainy, unmastered, and sentimental, but you’ve got to give credit where credit's due. This album is crisp.
If you enjoy anything coming out of the current punk or screamo scenes, at a baseline, you should check out this album. I can’t speak on the lyrics, as I myself am no speaker or translator of foreign languages, but the soundscape is phenomenal.
Prominent drums are beautiful and chaotic, a strong point on every track. The basswork is incredible, with consistent riffs ripping through the songs and some radical level speeds if you’re into that type of thing. The vocals? Incredible. To the singer: I may not know your name, but keep it up. I kept getting lulled into a consistency which time and time again was broken by harsh and rigid bellows, intense and tight as any other.
Enough general praise. Time to tap into some highlights. Nine tracks. The fourth song of this project is awesome. “Shinjukusakebugirigiritemae” opens with some punk-adjacent shouts, followed by this almost groovy instrumentation, reminiscent of Jagatara to me. This song leans heavily into the instrumental interplay between members, and it really works well for them. “5.4 inch (Album Ver.)” is a progressive masterpiece, a seemingly prog hybrid screamo song that can't not be mentioned. Such an expansive percussion presence across this song, the guitar riffs consistent and driven, and the vocals remind me of Kara’s Walk Home. Exaggerated and desperate, poignancy comes across despite the language barrier. My final shout is to the penultimate song, “Wonderful World.” It's got some of that distorted pedal work everyone loves, an awesome guitar solo, a hypnotic rhythm—all of which come together into another great effort. This album perfectly balances coherence and distinction of styles between songs as you progress through the runtime.
There is a level of emotion coming through this project I really have difficulty finding in a lot of music. This probably lies on me. My taste is awful, I’ve lost my mind a little, and I like loud things. This narrows it quite a bit. One could argue the emotion is oversaturated, creating a crutch on the tone and a redundancy in form. I disagree, I love this album. I think all of you should listen, hence my return to the digital forum to publicize my thoughts.
All in all, this album is great. I want to make a point of giving notice to the bands who haven’t made it massively huge yet. There really is some wickedly amazing music out there if you have the time to listen and sift. Prime example right here. In a time with a rapidly expanding repertoire of splintered consumption methods along with an emphasis on convenience and ease, it’s all the more rewarding to look through art, searching and searching for those really amazing new pieces. If you care about that search for something fresh, for something real, then bump this. It's tight, new, and pretty incredible.
edited by Kristen Wallace.
album artwork believed to belong to either the publisher of the work or the artist.