“Be Witch.” is a beautifully emotional song that shows Rikka Sera in the best colors, like a blooming flower standing out in the middle of the snow.
Title: Be Witch. Release date: 23/02/2024 Label: Movic Genre: Orchestral pop
Tracklist:
1 - Be Witch. 2 - Be Witch. -off vocal-
Track analysis:
1 – Be Witch.
“Growth” has been the main focus in the “Ano Koro no Bokura wa my dear days” CD series and what Rikka Sera (CV: Natsuki Hanae) brings to you is exactly that, times 100.
“Be Witch.” arrives with a delicate piano painting a dreamy, endless soundscape.
But there is something about this song that will start sounding off. The song is slow-paced and the tone is gentle, however, the piano keys are urgent, and breathless, almost as if they are searching for something.
The vocals are quiet yet really powerful and overflowing with emotion. This is a performance of contrasts, one that is beautiful from start to finish. One that will certainly impress you.
The build-up to the chorus is full of drama as Natsuki Hanae goes full blast on his emotional range to deliver a spine-chilling performance that is only matched by the outstanding instrumental.
Oh yes, the instrumental for this song is a thing of beauty. I love the darkness, the forlorn vibe, and the intense delivery with the low, dramatic piano chords leading the way in a minor key.
This feels like more than a dream.
It is almost as if you’re under a spell.
Something so beautiful materializing in music format feels unreal.
That’s the feeling I get as I listen to this song for the first time.
The strings are graceful and stay rooted to your left side (please listen to this song with headphones to experience this in the best way possible), and the timpani plays in front of you yet they echo in the soundscape.
When the choir joins in and Natsuki Hanae goes full blast on his vocals, you will get chills running down your spine. Especially on a first listen, what you will get from this song is a unique reply from your body.
Then those strings kick in with a legato choir in tow and honestly, it’s goosebumps all over me. But then the song shifts again in tone.
The second verse has a lot of pace to itself, with percussion adding a running, galloping sort of bounce to this song. This only adds to the fantastical tone of “Be Witch.”.
Once again, the piano work in this song is wonderful. The delicate tone it adds to the bridge, shifting to the dramatic, full-blown low notes in the chorus will leave you in awe at what you just heard.
When “Be Witch.” wraps up, you’re left thinking this is a spiritual successor of “Lily” yet, a much more mature, dramatic, and focused type of song – yet in the same line and with a similar vibe.
I couldn’t help drawing parallels between both songs, especially seeing as both are piano-driven songs – really dramatic for the most part – and also with a dreamy vibe to themselves.
One thing I can say for sure is that not only the sound has vastly improved but Natsuki Hanae has also improved a lot as a performer – mind you, he was already amazing back then, having been one of the best singers in SolidS since the start.
Yet again, if you compare both songs, you will find parallels everywhere and you will also notice just how much Rikka has grown, how John-san (the awesome composer behind this song) has grown, and how much Natsuki Hanae has improved as a performer, especially when it comes to his emotional range.
All in all, “Be Witch.” is a beautifully emotional song that shows Rikka Sera in the best colors, like a blooming flower in the middle of the snow.
“Be Witch.” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
