GRANRODEO goes all out with a funky, 80s-inspired sound for their groovy new single “Treasure Pleasure”.
Title: Treasure Pleasure Release date: 13/10/2021 Label: Lantis Genre: Funk-rock
Tracklist:
1 - Treasure Pleasure 2 - 青色センサーシヨン 3 - Treasure Pleasure (off vocal) 4 - 青色センサーシヨン (off vocal)
Track by track analysis:
1 – Treasure Pleasure
GRANRODEO makes a grand entrance with “Treasure Pleasure”, song that brings to the forefront bassy drums, funky guitar riffs, and fancy brass melodies.
There are strong funk and ska influences in this instrumental give this song a danceable, fun, and elegant twist.
If you’re the type of listener that loves a hearty, punchy bassline, “Treasure Pleasure” has that and more. It’s funk town in here.
The verses are playful and upbeat, smoothly connecting with the groovy chorus in which the highlight is actually KISHOW’s melodic head voice notes and riffing.
The tone in this song goes a lot in line with what the band has been doing – leaning more towards funk – and once again I say that this style and sound suits them really well.
2 – 青色センサーシヨン
Wrapping up this single is “Aoiro Sensation”. GRANRODEO goes back in time to fully embrace 70s-inspired funk-rock.
The guitar work for this track is off the charts, having incredibly intricate sections in the verses. There are blues influences in the guitar work although it is predominantly funk-driven.
The drums are simple, bringing a bit of a splash to this song. At the same time, you have a fancy strings section that adds that old-school feel to the track – actually something that heavily winks at 70s funk/citypop – and as the finishing touches you find a punchy bassline adding a bounce to this track.
KISHOW embraces the good vibes in the instrumental with a warm performance relying heavily on his mid-tones, adding some vibrato and head voice accents.
From start to finish, “Aoiro Sensation” is a fun throwback with a beautiful late summer vibe that will bring in a bit back nostalgia for those good times.
Final considerations
GRANRODEO continues a perfect streak of releases with “Treasure Pleasure”.
Funk plays a big role in making this single sound this fun, bouncy and nostalgic. The title track “Treasure Pleasure” is a treat to listen to, with the bassline being massive throughout.
GRANRODEO has always had awesome basslines in their music but whenever they crank up the funky vibes, listeners get some of the richest, grooviest basslines that will take everyone to the dancefloor.
KISHOW’s performance is stellar across both songs, with his trademark head voice notes shining but he also brought riffing into the mix, adding a melodic twist to his powerful performances.
Once again, he’s making the best use of his skillset and it’s a delight to listen to a set of performances in which you can feel that he was enjoying himself and grooving to the song. It shows in his voice, something that you won’t even notice… well until you have a massive grin plastered on your face while listening to both songs in this single.
I feel like most of the times people just care about the song that gets a feature in anime and completely disregard the b-side tracks in GRANRODEO’s singles – GRANRODEO has outstanding b-side tracks in their repertoire that, judging by streaming numbers, very few people are familiar with – so let me talk a bit about “Aoiro Sensation”.
Even if you’re not familiar with 70s funk or 80s citypop, you’ll easily notice how GRANRODEO intentionally made the song sound dated in its composition.
The background vocals, strings, the guitar solo, the nostalgic summer vibes, and even the lyrics to some extent, all wink at those eras (and bring elements from those genres), bringing a lot of nostalgia to those that grew up listening to those genres but also making it welcoming to newcomers.
In a way, GRANRODEO takes you to the past with them and lets you bask in the beautiful soundscapes while carefree music adds a beat and color to your life. I believe this is when GRANRODEO is at its absolute best: when storytelling is made by sound only.
Although I instantly liked “Treasure Pleasure”, the song that leaves the deepest mark – and thus the one I consider the best in this single – is “Aoiro Sensation”.
Still, I welcome you to listen to both because this single is an absolute treat to listen to. Funk aplenty, good vibes overflowing, outstanding guitar and bass work, and KISHOW’s flawless performances are quite the greeting card to “Treasure Pleasure”.
“Treasure Pleasure” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
“Treasure Pleasure” is available for streaming on Spotify.
Do not support piracy. Remember to support GRANRODEO by streaming via official outlets.