Gray Sheep’s GOAT and BAD SKUNK release impactful songs in “Gray Sheep EP02 “boasting extended lineups and delivering songs that perfectly capture their essence.
Review
Title: Gray Sheep EP02
Release date: 22/05/2024
Label: MAGES.
Genre: Jazz-Pop/Rock
Tracklist (DISC 1 songs only)
1 - Guilty baby (GOAT) 2 - Nuts Addiction (BAD SKUNK) 3 - Guilty baby -Off Vocal- 4 - Nuts Addiction -Off Vocal-
Track by track analysis:
1 – Guilty baby
GOAT opens the curtains to this CD with “Guilty baby“, song that brings to the spotlight a funky sound led by a slap bass groove and shuffle beat.
It’s crazy how addictive and stylish this song is, straying a bit away from the group’s ethereal sound in the first CD and digital single.
You get a song with a laidback, fun (and playful) vibe that the trombone, saxophone, and trumpets elevate with fancy work in the verses.
In the background, the guitar is played in a funky style, a rhodes piano, and organ join in to add stylish highlights to the composition while the bassline makes the instrumental bounce.
This instrumental alone is ridiculously addictive. It didn’t take me more than the first phrase in this composition to start jamming to the song as I was writing this review.
By now, I’m already listening to this song for the third time – and I’m 100% sure I’ll have to make myself want to move on to the next song because this one is too good.
The chorus is a highlight in which all the danceable and playful vibes come together as the drums shuffle their way to the stage.
And on stage, you have a different dynamic on vocals as GOAT brings in new members to this performance.
While Seiichiro Yamashita, Kent Ito, and Yohei Azakami are still the leaders on vocals – getting more lines than the other members -, the additions of Shogo Sakata, Tatsumaru Tachibana, and Shun Horie brought a lot of power to the high range as well as energy.
Honestly, while I’m not a big fan of groups welcoming new members – just for the sake of it – in this case GOAT sounds even better with the new additions.
Shun Horie, going higher than anyone in this performance, shines in a way that I was not expecting, contrasting with the powerful mid-toned vocals by the rest of the group.
The contrast sounds pleasing and, of course, you can expect nothing more than an insanely controlled performance coming from him.
Tatsumaru Tachibana brings a stylish, sort of refined touch that fits this performance like a glove and Shogo Sakata positively surprised me – as this was the first time I’ve listened to him singing.
GOAT continues its streak of fancy, additive, and stylish tunes. A warning: as soon as you press play, it’ll be hard to pause this song. It’s this good.
2 – Nuts Addiction
And wrapping up this release is BAD SKUNK and oh boy, this group is now completely loaded on the vocal end!
The group brings “Nuts Addiction” and with it comes a dark, dirty, and gritty rock song with juggle/drum & bass elements.
Urgent and intense, the pacing in this song is bonkers. Its unpredictability is also something that will stand out quite easily.
Let’s explore this song in more detail because it feels like it has several “chapters” or “sections” within it.
You have an extremely intense and erratic intro with jungle and drum & bass elements, a dirty and intense rock sound in the verses mixed with dramatic synths.
The build-up to the chorus is toned down and more pop-driven whereas, industrial rock clashes with electronica in the bridge and leads up to the explosive stadium rock sound.
There are various music genres mixed in this song – which heavily impacts its tempo and the listener’s attention throughout this performance.
When the chorus kicks in, the double bass drums take over and kick open the doors to what appears to be a “stadium rock” style. While there are parts in this song that I enjoy, this is, honestly, the best one (even if the song features a heavier brand of rock in other parts of the composition).
This is a bonkers composition that will take more than a couple of listens to get used to, trust me.
Now, BAD SKUNK is loaded on the vocals – especially with some of my favorite singers -; plus they’ve upgraded their vocals by adding Yoshiki Nakajima, Yuichiro Umehara, and Kouhei Amasaki. (It’s almost “unfair” how packed they are with technical singers in comparison to GOAT)
However, while you would think they’d sound better in comparison… what happens is not the opposite but close.
Shunichi Toki ended up buried in the vocal mix, Makoto Furukawa, Yuichiro Umehara and Yoshiki Nakajima easily overpowered everyone – due to their lower, powerful baritone (or faux baritone -> Yoshiki Nakajima) vocals.
Strangely enough, Kentaro Kumagai and Kouhei Amasaki also get a bit of the backseat in the vocal mix (barely standing out in unison parts – chorus).
Now, let’s be even more detailed in this analysis.
With an instrumental as unpredictable as this one – and incredibly low in tone – something obvious was bound to happen: tenors would naturally disappear in the vocal mix compared to the baritones (as this song is more tailored to their strengths).
At the same time, I feel that, if the mixing wanted to flatter the voices, they could have done a bit more toward making Shunichi Toki’s voice a bit higher in volume or bringing him to the front. He was there, I could hear him, but he was far in the background, only shining when put in front.
The same can be said about Kumagai and Amasaki. I feel like this instrumental didn’t flatter their voices and they ended up “disappearing” a bit in the final vocals mix.
Final considerations:
GOAT continues to make my jaw drop in awe with their music. Their sound is so pleasing, addictive, stylish, and fits perfectly with their vocals – even with the new additions just joining in. All voices were clear at all times, adding up to that feeling that everything was almost too “perfect”.
I won’t complain, I love when I can listen to everyone instead of trying hard to find them in the vocals mix.
I love as well how they’ve kept the consistent quality and their sound continues to be harmonious and focused on “unity”. This is something I deeply appreciate concept-wise. This kind of consistency between a group’s vibe and their music is not as common as you may think in 2D groups, especially in their initial stages (in which groups want to show they can do a bit of everything).
Even without knowing the story in the drama CDs, listeners will notice how “orderly” and “unified” they sound.
I’ve been enjoying their music a whole lot and, out of the two songs on this CD, “Guilty baby” is the best track (for me). Just pure fun with a stylish bounce that belongs to a lounge or jazz bar. That’s my thing!
Explosive, violent, and unpredictable, BAD SKUNK’s sound is really the thing I should and would normally like however… the composition for “Nuts Addiction“ is too crazy – even by my standards and I listen to psychedelic and industrial rock regularly, so I’m quite used to “weird” or “unconventional” compositions.
Still, not to take away its merits, this song is a banger in specific parts and could have been a tad better, for example, if the jungle/drum & bass elements weren’t that prominent in the verses.
That would have brought more clarity to the vocals mix while still making the song sound chaotic and aggressive (or “edgy”, which is, clearly, their aim).
Once again, BAD SKUNK has a close-to-perfect vocals lineup – according to my tastes – but their songs still have to impact me in a way that GOAT’s have.
So yeah, I, not the biggest fan of pop, am actually enjoying GOAT more than BAD SKUNK.
But let me tell you, if BAD SKUNK settles for a more “grounded” heavy rock sound, their lineup will blow everyone away.
They have some of the best singers among male seiyuu and a masterful chameleon among them – Yoshiki Nakajima. It’ll be interesting to see how he will morph and adapt to upcoming songs by the group.
BAD SKUNK falls a bit short in terms of the quality of the instrumental – which ends up being too crazy and unpredictable, even by their standards – but shows a potential to leave your jaws dropping in awe if they polish their sound paired up with their impressive power on the vocal end.
On the other hand, GOAT stole the show yet again with an impressive jazz-pop tune in “Guilty baby”, working an extended vocal lineup and sounding like they’d been doing it since their debut song.
All in all, Gray Sheep’s “Gray Sheep EP02” makes an impactful release with GOAT and BAD SKUNK boasting extended lineups and delivering songs that perfectly capture their essence.
What is Gray Sheep?
Is a project created by LOVE&ART, MAGES.’ otome game brand known for titles like “B-PROJECT,” “WAVE!!,” and “Meiji Tokyo Renka”.
The story focuses on the conflict and collaboration between a special force called “GOAT” and a vigilante group known as “BAD SKUNK“.
This mixed media project features drama tracks and music released by GOAT and BAD SKUNK.
BAD SKUNK features vocals by Makoto Furukawa (as JUNKY), Kentaro Kumagai (as AK) and Shunichi Toki (as NERU).
GOAT features vocals by Seiichiro Yamashita (as SNOW), Kent Ito (as COLOR) and Yohei Azakami (as NURSE).
Know more about this franchise in the extended feature here at The Hand That Feeds HQ.
“Gray Sheep EP02” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
“Gray Sheep EP02” is available for streaming on Spotify.
Do not support piracy. Remember to support the Gray Sheep franchise by streaming via official outlets.
