Review | Takuya Eguchi “EGUISM”

Takuya Eguchi

Takuya Eguchi makes a strong debut with “EGUISM”, mini-album that spreads good vibes through a blend of pop and rock that suits his vocals.

Takuya Eguchi EGUISM regular edition
Regular
Title: EGUISM
Label: Kiramune
Release date: 21/04/2021
Genre: Pop-Rock

Tracklist:

1 - ハローグッバイ 
2 - Love Loser
3 - 素敵な夜に 
4 - Good Unite Infinity
5 - Life goes on
6 - Love & Smile

Track by track analysis:

1 – ハローグッバイ 

Hello Goodbye” kicks off this album in an upbeat fashion. The piano melodies are playful, the guitars have a laidback tone to them, the bass and drums are comfortable and add a lot of warmth to this song.

The chorus is simple, with guitars taking centerstage as Takuya Eguchi delivers a confident performance.

The bridge counts with a double solo, with the guitar and piano adding a melancholic touch to this song.

Throughout “Hello Goodbye”, Eguchi shifts from clean singing riding on his mid-tones and fast-paced sections in a split-second shift to rapping.

Solid welcome to this solo artist career.

2 – Love Loser

Fast-paced funky guitar riffs, playful piano melodies, and hard-hitting snary drums set an intense tone for “Love Loser”.

The chorus is addictive, with guitars and slap bass exploding on it, adding a lot of energy to this track. Its groovy beat and fancy guitar work will have you jamming along without noticing.

The guitar solo in this track is an absolute treat however it is worth noting that the fat, punchy slap bassline is quite the treat as well, driving the song forward with a lot of power.

Takuya Eguchi goes for a fast-paced performance overflowing with energy. If you notice the rhythm in his singing, it’s almost as if he is bouncing in this track. It ends up being quite the fun approach to singing and for sure something responsible for the entertaining value this track has.

3 – 素敵な夜に 

Gears change as we’re graced with “Suteki na yoru ni”. This slow-paced, melancholic pop-rock tune kicks off with gated guitar riffs and slowly opens its soundscape to you, bringing bright piano melodies, feel-good triplets, and bassline while bringing a dramatic beat to the table.

The song progresses in a comfortable tempo, with the verses having a sad undertone, something that confers this song with a ballad twist. The chorus is emotional, with guitar riffs slowly sinking in while piano melodies slowly guide you through it and drums deal the final blow to your emotions.

When it comes to vocal performances, Takuya Eguchi displays a lot of control and puts his emotional range up to the test. His crescendos are subtle, yet carry a lot of emotion and his mid-tones and long notes were flawless.

4 – Good Unite Infinity

Good Unite Infinity” is bonkers. Fast-paced guitar riffs make the entrance for this song and drive it forward at an insane speed. Drums are incisive with a heavy focus on snare rhythms and the bassline is punchy throughout.

The chorus capitalizes on that speed and craziness and adds a party vibe to it through synths and chants that will make you want to sing along to it.

It’s safe to say that this song is Eguchi’s element. It is upbeat, crazy, and loads of fun – for those that can deal with upbeat, high-tension music like this – and his performance is a complete embracing of all of that.

5 – Life goes on

Gears change and Takuya Eguchi brings to the spotlight “Life goes on”, song with a hopeful vibe in its piano melodies and a lot of power through its bassy instrumental. The bassline for this song is crazily punchy, driving this song forward at incredible speed while adding to it a lot of groove.

Guitars are explosive throughout although not a massive feature, as the piano will stand out with more ease than those.

The chorus is intense but really tasteful, with Eguchi’s performance shining through those comfortable mid-tones, tricky fast-paced sections, and high notes.

Awesome rock tune that will for sure be on repeat for me.

6 – Love & Smile

Wrapping up this mini-album is “Love & Smile”, song that explores a loungy semi-acoustic sound that will put a smile on your face.

The vibes are positive throughout, with the verses being incredibly bouncy on top of those playful piano melodies and strings.

The drums in this song are doing all kinds of things and changing tempo quite frequently, adding variety to this song.

The chorus is fast-paced yet the sound is contained in a way that you can enjoy every detail of it.


Final considerations

Takuya Eguchi makes a strong solo debut with “EGUISM”, a mini-album that spreads good vibes through a blend of pop and rock that suits his vocals.

After listening to this album from start to finish with no interruptions, I can safely say that his aim with “EGUISM” was primarily putting a smile on the face of his fans.

There are plenty of mindless fun moments in this mini-album, with “Good Unite Infinity” being a fantastic example of that.

For fans of peppy music, this mini-album has “Good Unite Infinity” and “Love & Smile”.

If you’re looking for a good time but want chill vibes on top you have “Suteki na yoru ni”.

Fast-paced rock that will make you jump, sing-along, and shout? “Hello Goodbye”, “Love Loser” and “Life goes on” are your friends.

Out of all tracks, I’d say the one that felt the best – or connected best – with me was “Life goes on”.

I’m not a fan of peppy music – and tend to struggle when having to review music with that tone – thus, to find a shredding rock tune in this album like this one (this album actually has plenty of rock that caters to my tastes) was a treat for me.

A crazy fast song with awesome guitar work, powerful drums, and an exciting performance by Takuya Eguchi. I couldn’t ask for something better.

It is worth mentioning – in case you’re not aware – that Eguchi participated in the production of this mini-album by penning lyrics to “Love Loser” and sharing lyricist credits with ARTE REFACT’s Yuki Honda in “Good Unite Infinity”, “Life goes on” and “Love & Smile”.

His lyrics explore life and trivialities in a genuinely fun and entertaining way.

Now, let’s talk about the vocals.

Takuya Eguchi didn’t show much of his vocal range beyond the basics which, as someone following his career since the start and knowing how versatile a singer he is, ended up feeling rather odd and anticlimactic.

Don’t get me wrong though, his performances were awesome in this mini-album but nothing extraordinary or that tapped into his technique beyond the basics. He does showcase his emotional range, at times aced crescendos but he’s mostly comfortable throughout in his mid-range.

So yeah, I was hoping he would surprise everyone with his wide vocal range but I guess those were the big hopes I had for this release that ended up not materializing.

A note that, it is common for seiyuu making solo debuts to play it extremely safe in their first CD. And that’s because it’s an introduction to their career and not much is defined on where to go next or what to sing or even how to perform the songs.

So, in this case, “EGUISM” ends up being a strong greeting card for fans, at the same time as it is a test for Takuya Eguchi to check what works or not, or what fans enjoy or not. Therefore, I am certain that the next CD he releases will improve on this one, and most certainly he’ll start to show more of his vocal range.

That’s why I consider “EGUISM” as a strong debut mini-album although one in which Takuya Eguchi played extremely safe on the performance side. There’s plenty of good, tasteful pop-rock music to enjoy in this mini-album, that’s for sure.

I’ll be looking forward to more music from him, especially if he continues to explore pop-rock or even acoustic music.


EGUISM is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.


“EGUISM” is available for streaming on Spotify.

Do not support piracy. Remember to support Takuya Eguchi by streaming via official outlets.
Vanessa Silva
Vanessa Silvahttps://www.handthatfeedshq.com
The Hand That Feeds HQ founder, content creator, and music reviewer. Basically, the only person managing everything at The Hand That Feeds HQ. Stumbling upon Mamoru Miyano's "Orpheus" in 2011 was the start of this journey. If music is thought-provoking or deep, you may find her writing almost essays (not limited to, but it happens a lot with Soma Saito's music). She's the producer and host of the male seiyuu-centric podcast, SEIYUU LOUNGE (see Spotify link in this profile).

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REVIEW OVERVIEW

ハローグッバイ 
Love Loser
素敵な夜に
Good Unite Infinity
Life goes on
Love & Smile

SUMMARY

“EGUISM” is a strong debut mini-album although one in which Takuya Eguchi played extremely safe on the performance side. There’s plenty of good, tasteful pop-rock music to enjoy in this mini-album, that’s for sure. At the same time, Takuya Eguchi showed his lyricist vein by penning/co-penning lyrics to most of the songs in this CD, leading up to interesting and uplifting stories to will put a smile on your face. Takuya Eguchi makes a compelling debut with “EGUISM”, mini-album that spreads good vibes through a blend of pop and rock that suits his vocals.

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“EGUISM” is a strong debut mini-album although one in which Takuya Eguchi played extremely safe on the performance side. There’s plenty of good, tasteful pop-rock music to enjoy in this mini-album, that’s for sure. At the same time, Takuya Eguchi showed his lyricist vein by penning/co-penning lyrics to most of the songs in this CD, leading up to interesting and uplifting stories to will put a smile on your face. Takuya Eguchi makes a compelling debut with “EGUISM”, mini-album that spreads good vibes through a blend of pop and rock that suits his vocals.Review | Takuya Eguchi "EGUISM"