Embracing their dreamy and atmospheric sound while adding a mature layer of grooviness, Anthos* is truly at the top of their game with “FAKE”.
Anthos* is comprised of Kent Ito, Wataru Komada, Toshiki Masuda, Shunichi Toki, Daiki Hamano, Seiichiro Yamashita, and Shun Horie.
Title: THINK OF ME: FAKE Label: AIЯRIDE RECORDS. / Movic Release date: 26/05/2023 Genre: Minimalistic Electronica/Chill out/Disco
Tracklist:
1 - Project Archive: A 3-6 2 - Project Archive: A 3-7 3 - Project Archive: A 3-8 4 - Project Archive: A 3-9 5 - Project Archive: A 3-10 6 - Fake Veil 7 - Regret
Track by track analysis:
6 – Fake Veil
“Fake Veil” brings the best of both worlds to Anthos* repertoire: dreamy chill EDM, tropical pop, and groovy disco.
As a result, the first thing you will notice in this tune is the atmospheric synths that slowly paint the soundscape, building up the tension while expanding it around the listener.
The verses have a dreamy vibe to them, with the atmospheric synths being the main element in them, serving as the backdrop to the performances. A minimalistic beat joins in and slowly, you get to a high-tension pre-chorus and then to the bass-heavy chorus.
The sound in the chorus has a focus on its lower frequencies, cranking up the bassline and bassy synths to create a bouncy instrumental that doesn’t even need vocals to shine.
On the vocal end, listeners get an awesome mix between the clean vocals by Kent Ito, Shun Horie, Wataru Komada, Shunichi Toki, and Toshiki Masuda and the groovy rapping by Daiki Hamano and Seiichiro Yamashita.
Between the powerful unison parts to the beautiful – or groovy – solo parts, all members shone equally in what is one of the most consistent performances by the group to date.
7 – Regret
And wrapping up this CD is “Regret”, song that brings an intense sound to the spotlight despite being quite dreamy since the very start.
The 1st verse is groovy, lending much of its bounce to a fat bassline and synth lead, while hi-hat triplets and a jaunty piano melody add a danceable almost Latin-inspired twist to this instrumental.
Now, on the vocal end, “Regret” is mesmerizing.
There are many impressive moments in this song. First off, the high notes in the chorus – by all members – are ridiculously good.
Toshiki Masuda and Kent Ito’s vibrato vocals add an unreal warmth to this performance. Shun Horie and Shunichi Toki are absolutely mesmerizing in the high notes, leading the group in the chorus.
Then, there are also changes in the rapping style, with Daiki Hamano and Seiichiro Yamashita shifting to a more melodic style blending singing with rapping.
It may sound really different on a first listen, especially if you are used to their trademark incisive style but it ends up suiting them a whole lot as well as how groovy this tune is.
And to wrap up this song, in the outro, Seiichiro Yamashita takes the stage to absolutely wreck everything with a beautiful and long falsetto part. It is unbelievable how amazing “Regret” is on the vocal end.
Easily the best song on this CD.
Final considerations:
Anthos* keeps on improving and maturing with each release and for “FAKE”, the group cranked up the groovy vibes to deliver an addictive set of songs.
Blending the best of their ethereal chillout EDM sound with tropical house and disco music, the leading track “Fake Veil” is an absolute banger, dancefloor-ready.
The soundscape for this song is something else. It is wide, dreamy yet it feels warm, a happy at its core. This shift in tone was something noticeable in the group’s previous release “TELL”.
This shift from a darker, slightly somber, and more intense sound to this relaxing and fairly happy type of sound and performance – even if the lyrics can fool you at times – is really awesome and has translated into ridiculously good performances.
“Regret” however is something else completely. If the bassline in “Fake Veil” was massive, wait until you listen to this one.
The soundscape is ethereal but not as wide as the previous tracks. This time around, everything is kept close to the listener, with the instrumental sounding tighter in comparison. The bassline cranked, contrasting with a jaunty piano melody and bassy synth stabs. As far as the instrumental goes, it was already sound insanely well.
But what made me instantly say this is the best song in this CD are the performances.
There are so many crazy and unexpected things going on on the vocal end.
The rapping duo went for a mix of singing and rapping in their parts, sounding much more melodic than usual. Shunichi Toki and Shun Horie were in complete control of the high notes, leading the way for the group that performs the chorus completely in falsetto.
Speaking of falsetto, have you paid close attention to Seiichiro Yamashita’s solo long falsetto part in the outro?
That part is a thing of beauty (and a delightful surprise coming from Yamashita). I found myself wanting, no, needing to listen to that part and the entire song again and again.
There are so many layers and intricate vocal details that you won’t catch with just one listen. And honestly, why would you stop at just one listen to this massive tune?
“FAKE” easily enters Anthos*’s top best CD releases, featuring yet again a majestic b-side track that completely overshadows the leading track. Fully embracing its dreamy, atmospheric sound while adding a mature layer of grooviness, Anthos* is on top of its game.
“THINK OF ME: FAKE” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
“FAKE” is available for streaming on Spotify.
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Hey, a nice, in detail review! I keep not noticing the whole instrumental that goes into those tracks, I keep obsessing over the vocals, so those parts of review I’m always reading like “wait they used something like that?!” lol
Just one small thing re: final line in Regret – I’m pretty sure it’s actually Yamashita 😀 They hyped it up on Anthos’ official account (where Mahiro was like “I did a thing in the final part, I hope you enjoy :D” up until the date of release, as if it didn’t slay us on the first listen), so I’m pretty sure I’m not wrong on this one. (That being said I didn’t catch it on the first listen, too obsessed with Toki Shun’ichi’s performance lol)
Oh!! This is even more amazing! Seiichiro doing that falsetto?!?! WOW I was really torn between him and Komada as when they raise their voice a little, they sound fairly similar but boy oh boy, this is downright impressive! Really awesome to hear different members taking the lead on technical stuff – really, highlights – within songs. And “Regret” is so, so good. Easily one of my favorite songs of the year so far and pretty high on Anthos*’s best songs (To date, because I know they will impress us again).
This performance, actually, the full single, is a marvel for fans of each member. Their voices are clear, beautiful and full of emotion. “FAKE” is a highlight reel in single format and I’m all in for it!
Thanks for sharing the info, Ao! I can only know so much about each group I review music from and you really helped out giving more accurate information in this review