CD Regular
CD Limited
CD + DVD
The group's 6th album White was released in Feb . Chumu Chumu is the band's 2nd single release this year after they released KAGUYA in Jan .
Chumu Chumu has an Indian theme & it's described as an upbeat love song that everyone can sing & dance to . Chumu means kiss in Hindi , which is the official language of India .
To say that Chumu Chumu is instantly addictive on 1st listen is an understatement . There's frankly no way to escape the infectious song that's of Chumu Chumu .
Perhaps taking a cue from Ken Hirai's Sore Demo Shitai which's also Bollywood inspired , Chumu Chumu is an unique take/spin to NEWS's past Summer inspired songs (such as SUMMER TIME) , making this song 1 of their most boldest music risk they undertook which served them well .
There're a total of 4 B-sides available in all 3 editions of the single . Hi wa Mata Noboru is a grand sounding ballad that has a sweeping gorgeous Orchestra melody to boot .
Sweet Martini & Sasabune are available in the CD regular edition of Chumu Chumu . Sweet Martini is a nice smooth mid tempo track that's easy on the ears while Sasabune is the 2nd B-side which's a ballad with this piano driven no. being an understated song .
Megalomania is only available in the CD limited edition of the single & this track brought me serious dejavu vibes as when I 1st heard it , I feel it sounds like a long lost twin of ARASHI's Move your body (which's track #2 from their 9th album Dream"A"live) .
I thought I was the only 1 that Megalomania sounded very similar to Move your body but turns out I'm not the only 1 who felt this way . And frankly I will not be surprised if the writing/composing team worked on both songs but this's something I don't mind as Move your body was 1 of the standout tracks in ARASHI's Dream"A"live & likewise for Megalomania too .
NEWS declares Summer the season of romance with Chumu Chumu ! The title of the group's 2nd single of 2015 means "kiss kiss" in Hindi , is an Indian influenced peppy love song that's perfect to bop along to !
After being quite disappointed in their latest album release White , I'm glad to say that singles wise , NEWS are still in the A game as I feel Chumu Chumu overall is a solid single .
Aside from the A-side which's 1 of their most musically experimental to date , a special mention also has to go to the 4 B-sides in the single as each B-side are equally good & were able to stand up against Chumu Chumu .
In addition , to me the B-sides in Chumu Chumu should have been included in White as I consider them a lot more stronger as compared to most of the White's album tracks (except for BYAKUYA) which sounded too safe for my liking .
All in all , it's good to know that NEWS got back in the zone with their latest single release & if their future singles will have the same if not better/higher standard than what Chumu Chumu offered , then all's well .
