My thoughts on “Koudenatsu hankou shoujo”, the last in a series of 4 digital single from Shihatsumachi Underground.

 
Release Date: October 10th 2020

Tracklist

1. Koudenatsu hankou shoujo

This year has definitely seen a lot of changes when it comes to the Idol scene. Many of which would have probably happened one way or another eventually anyway but circumstances necessitated the increased pace with which we reached our destination. Digital is now very much a prominent method of distributing music and more often than not it’s a song every month or two instead of the singles and EPs of yore. It took me a bit of getting used to but given how little else has been going on in 2020 I’ve found myself appreciating the steady drip of new material more and more as the months have worn on.

We’ve talked a lot about Shihatsumachi Underground over the past several months, with their series of 4 songs on the 10th of each month serving as the build-up to the group’s first one-man live in early November. I think it’s pretty cool when there’s another reason for these streams of music aside from just trying to stretch what would normally have been one release out a bit more and hey, this is as good of one as any. It also doesn’t hurt that the music itself has been pretty awesome all across the board when it comes to these Shihatsumachi releases, but I probably didn’t need to tell any of you that did I?

“Koudenatsu hankou shoujo” marks the end of this series of tracks, which have seen Shihatsumachi Underground show off a pretty wide variety of styles and influences. I’m expecting that to continue here I suppose and I’m already pretty happy that this one seem to be a bit more normal in length than a couple of the other songs that came out previously. You can definitely do a lot more with a lot less but they were definitely pushing the “leave them wanting more” aspect a bit too hard there for a while. That said, I’m sure this is going to be another great entry into the Shihatsumachi discography so all that’s left to do is hit play, write down some thoughts and see if I’m right or not. Let’s check it out.

Shihatsumachi Underground have been dabbling a bit in this sort of Gothic Rock sound of late and it would appear that they’re continuing to do so on this track as well. You definitely get this eerie impression to things pretty much from the get-go with some subtle but very noticeable spooky synthesizer melodies accompanying the dark, heavy atmosphere being created by the otherwise Rock in style drums and guitars. The vocals add to the creepy factor with their low tone and at times quite venomous delivery, so they’re really nailing the atmospheric aspect of this one pretty hard. Lyrically it’s also a pretty catchy listen too which is never a bad thing as far as I’m concerned and that aspect of the track just serves to increase the enjoyment that I was already deriving from what is a style of music that I enjoy a great deal. The much more melodic, very ethereal sounding choruses on the track took me a bit of getting used to I must admit but after a while I found myself coming around to what they did here and it certainly helps to lift the rather heavy mood that the track is otherwise giving off so it balanced out pretty nicely in the end I think. The fact that once again the lyrical content was also rather catchy probably played its part in that as well now that I think about it. Outside of that there are also several moments where the instrumental is really allowed to shine, resulting in some pretty interesting guitar solos and beats that all just come together to really put a bow on what this track is trying to present itself as; eerie, kinda tense and a little dangerous. On all of those fronts I think Shihatsumachi Underground have done a fantastic job and this song is up there when it comes to being one of my favorites not just from this series of releases but also the group’s discography as a whole.

Despite everything going on in the world this year, Shihatsumachi Underground have continued to deliver some really strong material both in terms of this digital release and the 3 that came before it. It also feels like they’re continuing to grow as a group with the introduction of new but most importantly complimentary influences into their already very successful style of music. If you’re someone who has never taken the time to check out the group or its music and are into Gothic tinged Rock, Pop and what have you then I really can’t recommend these past 4 digital releases or the group’s self-titled album (review here) enough.

As for what I’d like to see next from Shihatsumachi Underground? Well, much like everything else right now the future is very uncertain but I wouldn’t mind seeing these 4 digital singles get joined by another 5 or 6 in some kind of album configuration next year. I think that would be pretty cool but honestly, as long as the Idol scene doesn’t lose another of its more promising prospects before this whole COVID thing is over, I think I would probably settle for just that at this point really.