MooNs up their game for “Non stop fallin’ love“. Polished vocals and a refreshing twist to their sound shine in this single.
Title: Non stop fallin’ love Release date: 06/01/2021 Label: MAGES. Genre: Pop-Rock / Latin-pop
Tracklist:
1 - Non stop fallin’ love 2 - 鏡のマスカレード 3 - Non stop fallin’ love - Off Vocal - 4 - 鏡のマスカレード - Off Vocal -
Track by track analysis:
1 – Non Stop Fallin’ in Love
Electric guitar riffs paint the fast-paced soundscape unfolding before you. The verses are uptempo and upbeat, with splashy drums and a punchy bassline adding an energetic rhythm to this song.
“Non Stop Fallin’ in Love” counts with a pop-driven chorus, softer in all its rock elements while bringing synths accents into the mix.
If you’re a fan of guitar solos, this song has one albeit brief. The piano melody in the background goes bonkers for most of the song, keeping up with the fast pacing of the drums.
The vocals bring a lot of excitement to the table, being a sort of energizer for fans of peppy music. There are a couple of chants throughout the song that will call for you to join in and sing along. As a whole, this is a solid performance by MooNs, with all members at the same level.
2 – 鏡のマスカレード
Wrapping up this CD we’re greeting with an acoustic tune that brings Latin melodies to the spotlight.
“Kagami no Masquerade” counts with a mix of Jazz with Latin percussion in the verses, with the contrabass being a highlight in that section.
The fact that the verses are simple, with only 1 or 2 instruments setting the tone or a beat to follow, makes it possible for the vocals to lead the way and MooNs members to showcase their range.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the group’s harmonies in the chorus.
They sound insanely good in this song, with Yuto Uemura leading the group in a charismatic fashion. The vibrato in the vocals plus the smoothness of some of the members’ vocals – Toshiki Masuda and Tetsuya Kakihara –, further enhances the quality of this performance.
The bridge quiets down, with a saxophone solo adding an alluring twist to this song.
By the time “Kagami no Masquerade” wraps up, you’ll be hitting that replay button again. Awesome track.
Final considerations
MooNs keep on improving as a group in “Non Stop Fallin’ in Love”.
This is a single that counts with a mostly danceable vibe, something that is a trademark of the group – counting with synths to enhance their pop-rock sound – but, to change things around a little bit, they brought Latin pop with jazz influences to the spotlight in “Kagami no Masquerade” and dazzled.
With the lineup this group has, this type of songs will always be aced. Smooth, breath vocals with a bit of vibrato on top, that’s how MooNs sound to me.
And that sound when as a unit fits playful, danceable songs with a mature twist to them. Individually, MooNs members sound better than ever.
It is worth mentioning that Yuto Uemura has improved quite a lot, leading the way with confidence and managing to pull off consistent performances across a set of songs.
I still feel like Genki Okawa doesn’t get the same spotlight as the other MooNs members. In “Non Stop Fallin’ in Love” he was barely noticeable. In contrast, he was a strong presence in “Kagami no Masquerade”.
That lack of balance in the distribution of the lines or even in the way the vocals are then mixed in the chorus – making Okawa fall behind – still needs to be worked on.
Other than that, “Non Stop Fallin’ in Love” is an enjoyable single as a whole. There are some hiccups but nothing that erases the enjoyment you can take from this CD.
“Non stop fallin’ love“ is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
I am pleasantly surprised by how much I like Kagamino Masquerade. From the start, I was already in shock by the instrumental because this so not MooNs style. This kind of song would usually go to THRIVE but wow. Just wow. MooNs really nailed it. And I am so, so glad you mentioned the harmonies because that is so divine. They harmonised so well that I can’t even differentiate the voices like I usually can. And yes, yes. Uemura Yuto really have improved leaps and bounds. He used to be so shaky during MooNs previous and early singles. Like you usually point out in your reviews, Kakihara Tetsuya and Okawa Genki usually shines more in MooNs songs but now, everyone is equal and the synergy they bring! MooNs vocal skills definitely have improved. I love that this song’s instrumental is not overwhelming and allows their voices to be the highlight with their adlibs, falsettos etc. It’s such a joy to listen to!
I know, right? “Kagami no Masquerade” is such a Thrive-like song yet it strangely fit with MooNs. It gave them a mature twist, something that I genuinely love about it.
Their harmonies were really good. You’ll find yourself hitting that replay button just to experience them again. It goes to show how much the group has grown since their shaky debut days up until now, and I love seeing/listening to this kind of growth.
For a change, all members were on the spotlight, working well together and sounding awesome throughout. It was really nice to listen to that song!
The instrumental was cleverly made softer – it has a presence but it’s not as “intense” as MooNs’ songs usually are – which the group, with improved vocals, made the best out of. I am really excited for what they may release next as this was a positive improvement and step forward for them!
Thanks for your comment, @akashiakaashi! 🙂