Brave Child’s “Himitsu” is a standout, sexy, and love-filled entry in the Dear Vocalist franchise, marking the band’s best work to date.
Title: Dear Vocalist HEADLINER Entry Entry NO.2 Brave Child
Label: Rejet
Release date: 26/06/2024
Genre: Pop/Pop-Rock
Tracklist (DISC 1):
1 - 秘密 (NEW SONG)
2 - 風光る (NEW SONG)
3 - sweet time
4 - more
5 - Promise notice
Tracklist by track analysis:
1 – Himitsu (秘密)
Brave Child kicks off this single with “Himitsu“, song that brings a groovy beat and stylish rhodes piano melody opening the curtains to what is, easily, its grooviest song.
The verses are dreamy and intimate, with the rhodes piano painting the ethereal soundscape, echoing in the background as the bassline slowly bounces alongside the breakbeat, creating a warm and intimate vibe in which you’ll want to be immersed.
When it comes to the chorus, “Himitsu” shines beyond words. This soundscape opens its curtains and what you have in front of you is a stylish, loungy, and dreamy sound that you’ll want more of.
Brass joins in the triplets-led percussion as the bassline sets a groovy, danceable sound inviting you to the dancefloor.
On the vocal end, Nobunaga Shimazaki is at his absolute best, adding a lot of energy and charisma to this performance. At the same time, his tone is sweet and gentle, cranking up the intimate feel of this song.
2 – Kazehikaru (風光る)
And wrapping up this single is “Kazehikaru“, song that brings a jaunty piano and clap track to the spotlight as Joshua (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki) leads the way with powerful, clean vocals.
The verses are slow-tempo, being led by a simple snare and triplets combo. The beat cranks up the excitement leading to the chorus in which it shifts from a normal beat into a groovy breakbeat.
When the chorus kicks in, the soundscape expands, filled with hope and love, with reverb being applied to the vocals and the piano, echoing in the background and enveloping you in a warm embrace.
As far as the vocals go, Nobunaga Shimazaki is as steady and controlled as ever and filled with emotion, making Joshua’s vocals reach the listener, perfectly conveying the story and putting a smile on our faces.
Final considerations:
Well, well, well. Brave Child really upped their game for the Headliner CD series. “Himitsu” is, hands down, the band’s best release to date.
It is groovy, slow/mid-tempo, really melodic, and overflowing with love and care. The overall sound differs a lot from what the band has released in the past and the sound they’re best known for – pop-rock and ballads – but this change is welcomed and brought a breath of fresh air to Brave Child while not disrupting too much of what was their trademark up until then.
“Himitsu” – the title track – easily takes the crown for me of the best song on this CD.
Loungy, groovy, danceable, and incredibly sexy, this song is the definition of “intimate” when it comes to music composition. You can feel the want, the love, the attraction in Joshua’s performance. I’m a sucker for a good bassline + rhodes piano + brass and this song delivers this in such a fun and addictive way.
As such, this song sounds made for the dancefloor but not just any dancefloor, a dancefloor just for you and Joshua as Brave Child plays in the background. It’s this kind of vibe I get from this song.
Also, another thing I love a lot is the breakbeat and that snappy snare that echoes in the composition. It was instant love for this song as a whole and, as I write this review, I’m bobbing my head like crazy as the song replays in the background.
“Kazehikaru” neatly ties up this single, delivering a groovy pop-rock tune, this one more in the band’s “trademark” style. Once again, we have a breakbeat and a punchy bassline that will make your body dance or bob along to this song.
The jaunty piano and beat grabbed my attention as the guitars and bass created a warm soundscape while Joshua showcased his love and care for his significant other.
As far as vocals go, I love to hear Nobunaga Shimazaki’s evolution as a singer, especially as Joshua. His singing has always been strong and steady but there’s something about the way he adds emotion to his performances that manages to make me love and anticipate his performances from the get-go.
His clear voice suits so well the groovy sound in this single – something not as common in Brave Child’s repertoire – while the love, attraction, and care Joshua displays in the performances is perfectly delivered by Shimazaki.
I’ve said it before, don’t sleep on Shimazaki’s singing skills, he’s a sweet singer with crazy control over his vocals and he’s second to none when it comes to delivering strong emotions in his performances.
All in all, Brave Child’s “Himitsu” is a sexy, sweet, and love-filled single with some of the grooviest performances in the Dear Vocalist franchise. So far it is the best entry in this series.
What is Dear Vocalist?
Dear Vocalist is a 2D rock music project focused on equal parts music and storytelling. The franchise was launched in 2015 and is produced by Rejet.
R.O.N (Stereo Dive Foundation) is in charge of producing all the music in the franchise.
One thing that sets this franchise apart from all others is a massive focus on storytelling – through the drama tracks and songs. That storytelling highlights mental health – with all vocalists having some sort of disorder that you help them get through or heal – even if not obvious at times.
That, paired with the music and romance parts as well as the character development that you can easily notice if you check the songs + drama tracks chronologically, make this franchise a unique one, truly in a league of its own.
According to Rejet, the characters in the story are vocalists belonging to the music production company “Climax Record.” They face various challenges and unreasonable demands, such as the president of the production company telling them to disband if they don’t become successful. As a supportive figure and as their significant other, you strive to assist the vocalist in facing these challenges while engaging in musical activities.
The cast features 6 vocals, fronting their respective bands and, on the side living their normal lives with their significant others (you, the listener in the drama tracks).
Brave Child consists of:
A four-member rock band affiliated with Climax Record. The vocalist JOSHUA, who had been engaged in independent music activities in the artistic hub of artists, Los Angeles, formed the band.
After making a major debut under Climax Records USA.inc (LA), the base was shifted from the United States to Japan, and they started full-fledged activities in Japan starting in 2017.
Subsequently, JOSHUA steadily increased the number of live attendees with the band “Brave Child.” At “CR69Fes.2018 ‘Dead or Alive'”, he not only served as the opening act for both day and night sessions but also captivated a large audience.
- Vocalist: Joshua (CV: Nobunaga Shimazaki)
- Bass: MATSU (CV. Chiaki Kobayashi)
- Guitar: SOTA (CV. Takuma Nagatsuka)
- Drums: YUKI (CV. Tetsuya Kakihara)
“Himitsu” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
