SOARA took us down memory lane while smiling at the future with “I will./Bokura no Uta”.
Titled あの頃の僕らは My Dear Days. (Ano Koro no Bokura wa My Dear Days.), is a CD series featuring all members of SQ (SolidS and QUELL) and ALIVE (SOARA and Growth) revisiting their old selves.
The second part of this series now sees all groups revisiting songs from their debut days.
Title: I will / Bokura no Uta
Release date: 02/08/2025
Label: Movic
Genre: Pop-Rock
Tracklist:
1 - I Will.
2 - ぼくらのうた ~Song of Us~ (Bokura no Uta)
3 - I Will. off vocal
4 - ぼくらのうた ~Song of Us~ off vocal
Track by track analysis:
1 – I Will.
A nostalgic piano melody opens the curtains for “I will.”, song that slowly welcomes a deep bass line, hi-hat driven drums, and melancholic, reversed guitar riffs.
The song kicks off with Toshiyuki Toyonaga’s vocals and step by step welcomes everyone’s vocals, each of them taking their turns as the song moves from the nostalgic yet hopeful verses to the unison chorus in which the drums and bass lead the way, contrasting with the vocals’ higher tones.
I love how relentless the bass line is for this song – the highlight in my opinion when it comes to the instrumental – as well as how everyone is singing incredibly well for this song; the harmonies, the unisons, even the individual parts, everything is shining in this song.
The outro for this song is exactly what I wanted from SOARA – fun, showing their teamwork, as well as the quality on the vocal end, while providing a slightly different part within this song (instrumental-wise).
2 – ぼくらのうた ~Song of Us~ (Bokura no Uta)
And wrapping up this release is “Bokura no Uta~Song for Us~”. Delicate piano melodies serve as the backdrop for Toshiyuki Toyonaga’s vocals, quickly and smoothly transitioning to the group joining in on the vocals at the same time as their respective instruments join in.
The verses are a load of fun, overflowing with excitement and positivity – a trademark of SOARA’s – with members taking their turns as the tension builds up, taking them to the chorus, one that will stay with you for a while after listening to this song.
This song is all about the small touches that I love a lot about SOARA’s music.
For example, the vocals in the bridge, leading up to the last chorus, are beautiful and a good showcase of how versatile this band is, where all members can harmonize and even go for falsetto and impress. But if that is not enough, the guitar screaming in the solo part in the outro, as the unison vocals wrap up the song, is the perfect culmination of the hopeful, exciting, and inspiring lyrics in this song. Goosebumps all over me when the outro kicks in.
Final considerations
SOARA has grown so much over this decade, it is crazy! Their sound still carries the same carefree and exciting tone, but now has a mature approach – both in the lyrics and instrumentals – that makes me super nostalgic about them.
It is rare for a group to grow old alongside their fans and still keep their original tone while showcasing that everything they’ve gone through molded them into a mature version of their younger selves. John-san achieves this in the way he composes the songs for the group and the vocals – showing improvements across the board for all members – are a good reminder of where the group was and where they now are.
“Bokura no Uta” is, quite honestly, the song that best illustrates those changes. It has the band’s youthful sound yet approached in a more mature way that makes the lyrics click and relatable with older fans – quite possibly those already in their 30s who’ve been following the band for this decade.
But don’t sleep on “I will.”. This song has one of the chillest and most nostalgic instrumentals in their repertoire – and one of the most intense basslines I’ve heard from SOARA (Nozomu goes off on this one, actually on both songs, but more prominently here).
All in all, SOARA took us down memory lane while smiling at the future with “I will./Bokura no Uta”, an entry in the Ano koro no Bokura wa CD series, now in its group version.
“I will / Bokura no Uta” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
You can find this CD on Spotify.
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