Sir Vanity brings the nostalgia of the rainy summer season through the emotional rock song “AJISAI” and the vocals of Yoshiki Nakajima.
Sir Vanity consists of Yoshiki Nakajima (vocals and guitar), Yuichiro Umehara (vocals and guitar), Arte Refact’s Satoru Kuwabara (on bass/music composition) and taisei (VJ & Creative Director).
Title: 紫陽花 Label: VANITY RECORDS Release date: 26/06/2021 Genre: Rock
Tracklist:
1 - 紫陽花
Track analysis:
1 – AJISAI
Sir Vanity makes a triumphant comeback with “AJISAI”, song that embraces a dual sound that makes the best of their rock sound while bringing to the table a delicate touch from the piano.
But don’t be fooled into thinking this will be a ballad or a slow tearjerker. This is quite the powerful track counting with a punchy low bassline that leads the way.
In a way, “AJISAI” draws inspiration from SID, something that I absolutely love about it. That contrast between robust rock sound and the refined melodies that a more traditional piano-focused sound has is something that suits the band well.
It’s that addition of “beauty” to an otherwise “dark” and “grim” song that makes the song stand out to me.
The verses have a comfortable progression while the chorus cranks up the tension in an interesting way in which nostalgia and love clash with a loungy, summery soundscape. The nostalgia of the rainy summer is yet another way in which you can approach this song.
On vocals, this time around, fans will only encounter Yoshiki Nakajima. This may be the start of a series of solo tracks in Sir Vanity’s repertoire, which would be interesting to follow.
Nakajima powers his way through the track with a lot of confidence, making the best out of his solid mid-tones but never straying away from those.
As a matter of fact, his performance couldn’t have been simpler and yet this powerful. The way he interpreted the emotions in the lyrics really stands out.
You can feel the nostalgia when he does a slight legato to his notes in the chorus. Those are deliberate and a really nice accent to a song that is a perfect addition to their repertoire not only quality-wise but also versatility-wise.
“AJISAI” will make you anticipate more music by Sir Vanity and will certainly be a good, nostalgic tune to add to your summer playlist.
