Hitomi is a song by Fukuyama Masaharu which was released digitally on 19th Feb .
Promo wise , Hitomi was chosen to promote the drama Haru ni Nattara .
Hitomi is described as an inclusive song that gently embraces the world of father & daughter . Fukuyama created Hitomi with the image of a "reciprocated letter" to a loved one .
Fukuyama's latest song release Hitomi is very different from his previous digital released song Soubou but in a good way .
Unlike Soubou , Hitomi is a lot more cheery & lighthearted . This mid tempo no. captured the spirit of what the Haru ni Nattara drama is & my favourite part of Hitomi is the ending of the song's melody which has a great Orchestra feel that did not sound over the top .
Just like Soubou , Hitomi is another great song added to Fukuyama's ever growing music discography & I look forward to see what else Fukuyama will release next this year .
Silence is a song by Koda Kumi which was released digitally on 14th Feb .
Promo wise , Silence was chosen to promote the movie Gold Boy that will open in Japan's cinemas on 8th March .
The digital cover & accompanied music video were filmed in Okinawa .
Unlike Koda's previous digital released song Vroom which I still do not like unfortunately , I thankfully did not have the same thoughts over Silence .
Ballads that Koda released over the years can be hit or miss . What I like about Silence is that it emphasised on the less is more aspect & Koda showcased her vocals well in this beautiful piano driven ballad .
Koda's 19th album UNICORN will be released on 17th April & Silence will be included in the new album .
Regular
Limited
Tracklist (same for both versions)
1) Orange
2) Imagination -New Version-
3) I'm・A・Believer -New Version-
4) One Day -New Version-
5) Orange (Instrumental)
6) Imagination -New Version- (Instrumental)
7) I'm・A・Believer -New Version- (Instrumental)
8) One Day -New Version- (Instrumental)
SPYAIR's latest music offering was released on the same day as JUST LIKE THIS 2023 video release .
This is the 1st physical CD release featuring new vocalist YOSUKE after he replaced ex vocalist IKE who left SPYAIR on March 2022 due to health issues .
Orange is the 2nd original song featuring YOSUKE after SPYAIR digitally released RE-BIRTH last July .
Promo wise , Orange was chosen to promote the movie Haikyu!! Gomi Suteba no Kessen that opened in Japan's cinemas last Friday on 16th Feb .
Orange is described as an emotional song that is studded with self-homage to past SPYAIR songs that were used to promote the Haikyu!! anime franchise over the years .
The B sides in Orange includes re-recorded past SPYAIR songs SPYAIR that promoted the Haikyu!! anime franchise :
Imagination -New Version- ; 14th single ; released digitally last Sept
I'm・A・Believer -New Version- ; 17th single ; released digitally last Dec
One Day -New Version- ; 23rd single
SPYAIR brings their 1st music release since new vocalist YOSUKE joined the band last April ! Orange is the theme song of Haikyu!! Gomi Suteba no Kessen . The EP also includes new versions of Imagination , I'm・A・Believer & One Day .
Song wise , Orange is really good . The mid tempo ballad has music elements from the past songs SPYAIR that they used to promote the Haikyu!! anime franchise over the years & I love the inclusion of violin strings in the melody .
In addition , the video that SPYAIR made for Orange has some really cool callback references to the past music videos they made which 1 of them they referenced One Day in the video .
As for the newly recorded songs in Orange , the new take of One Day is the only 1 that I surprisingly do not like . Perhaps if YOSUKE sung the song in a lower vocal range , I would have prefer it a lot more but for this , this's the rare occasion where I prefer the original take of One Day over the newly recorded version .
I have supported SPYAIR for a very long time . I was saddened when ex vocalist IKE left the band due to health issues & let alone his singing voice is still 1 of the most recognisable & unique to date .
That said , it's heartening to see that the reminding members have continue on & with YOSUKE now being the band's new vocalist , SPYAIR is in good hands & I look forward to future music releases from them .
