The freshly revived Country Girls was on its way to being one of my favorite things of 2015. I fell in love with the group in general and Shimamura Uta was amazing. She had “it”. Then, she peaced out and it really hurt. It felt like JunJun all over again. I kinda drifted away from this group after that.
As always, time heals all wounds and I’m eager to see what this group does next. The new members have great potential, and I’ve found a new favorite in Yamaki Risa. It’s a new year and a new opportunity, right? Well, Country Girls is off to a pretty fun and nostalgic start.
“Boogie Woogie Love” has a very colorful big band theme in both song and PV. The entire PV is shot on this set full of nostalgic mid-20th century American pieces ranging from a bar and stools from a cafe, retro bikes, a jukebox, and even a 1964 Chevrolet Impala. It’s like a Fourth of July parade!
There are some weird filters going on in this PV though. Some colors, namely skin tones, are dull to near monochrome levels but others really pop out, reds in particular. I guess it kinda reinforced the retro feel, but I’m not really into filters period. It’s a tad distracting as the girls look nearly ghost white in some shots. Luckily the PV as a whole is too fun to really care about this too much.
The outfits definitely have a 50’s cafe girl feel to them, but have enough of an idol twist to be pretty cute. The colors of the outfits vary by seniority. The more veteran members from kenshuusei and former Berryz are in blue, the Golden Audition girls are in red, and our newbies get a very standout yellow. It’s a nice little touch that results in a nice “Oh, yeah!” moment when you realize it.
The PV is technically decent. It’s nicely shot and the scene swaps aren’t jarring. The dancing is quite average. The newbies do have a few sloppy moments, but for their first PV they fit in quite well overall. I was nervous when new girls were announced for this group, but they officially have my stamp of approval. They definitely add more cute to the group and it works.
Yanagawa Nanami in particular definitely has a unique quality to her that I can’t quite describe. It might even be that “it” I associated with Shimamura Uta. I have a feeling she’ll end up becoming a terrific idol and I’m excited to see her progress in the group. However, I’m still standing firmly behind supporting Risa for the moment.
Song-wise, oh man. I’m totally in love with this song. It’s a spiritual successor to Morning Musume’s 2001 release “Mr. Moonlight ~Ai no Big Band~” which I loved back in the day. The instrumentals are very loyal to the era they’re paying homage to, and don’t have any wedged in modern pop twists detracting from the well-done bass and trumpet lines. This song flows so well. I really love it. The PV may not break any ground and could use a little more color in spots, but it compliments the wonderful song so well. Great stuff.
Country Girls’ third single drops March 9th.
Watch: YouTube (Official)
Buy on Amazon JP: Type A [Regular Edition]
| Type B [Regular Edition]
| Type C [Regular Edition]
| Type A [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]
| Type B [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]
| Type C [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]
Buy on CDJapan: Type A [Regular Edition] | Type B [Regular Edition] | Type C [Regular Edition] | Type A [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] | Type B [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] | Type C [w/ DVD, Limited Edition]
