Light and darkness take over TOBARI’s “In – Black with high purity”, easily one of the best CDs released in 2022.
TOBARI is a rock duo comprised of Shio Amagi (CV: Yoshiki Nakajima) and Kuroi Hashiba (CV: Tetsuei Sumiya). The duo often teams up with TSUKIPRO’s group, infint0 as pioniX.
Review
Title: In - Black with high purity Label: Sunpro/Movic Release date: 26/08/2022 Genre: Rock/Pop
Tracklist:
1 - ドラマ「陰と陽」 2 - ドラマ「作戦会議」 3 - ドラマ「Black with high purity」 4 - 羽柴玄尉ソロ曲「刹那的ブラスト」 5 - ユニット曲「月光」 6 - 刹那的ブラスト -off vocal- 7 - 月光 -off vocal-
Track by track analysis:
4 – 刹那的ブラスト
“Setsunateki Blast” brings to the spotlight Kuroi Hashiba (CV: Tetsuei Sumiya) in a fashionable way.
The song kicks off with a dark and dreamy sound, atmospheric synths slowly sucking you in.
In the background, percussion hits circle you, putting you at the center of this performance.
The sound is somber and slow-paced, with snary drums joining in alongside the bassline, further enhancing that darkness. As you get closer to the chorus, the drums go ballistic on the bass drum, the guitars go low and melodic alongside the punchy bassline and eerie synths.
The sound is imposing and delicate at the same time. It is mesmerizing.
The bridge brings a beautiful piano + synth melody serving as the backdrop for Tetsuei Sumiya’s emotional vocals. Strings join in to completely mess up your emotions.
Technicality and emotional range, not to mention a display of vocal range (from high notes in the pitch vocals until the blasting raw mid-tones in the chorus) make this a memorable performance.
5 – 月光
Wrapping up this release is TOBARI’s “Gekkou“, song that is dreamy and beautiful right from the very first notes.
A delicate shamisen creates the lead for this song, introducing the listener to what is TOBARI’s best song to date.
In the verses, the beat is slow and warm, enveloping the listener in a way that you can’t – and honestly, won’t – want to get away from.
Synths are big yet quite atmospheric, following the lead from the traditional Japanese elements you get to listen to in the intro.
The chorus is simple in its delivery yet quite technical in its composition and performance. There are big synths, spaced in the soundscape, washy synths painting it in orange hues, and a gentle, danceable beat, making sure you’ll be feeling this song.
The bridge brings big dramatic piano melodies alongside a comfortable beat and atmospheric synths. These elements create the perfect background to the technical vocals by Yoshiki Nakajima and Tetsuei Sumiya.
And these vocals? The technicality is unreal. From the beautiful harmonies in the chorus to the head voice parts (solo and in harmony) and the flourishes going on in the individual arts, this is a performance made to make your jaw drop.
The performance, while following a regular pop style, brings as well a traditional touch, with Enka influences being noticeable in the harmonies and the rises in tone. Head voice is a massive feature on the vocal end, bringing life to this performance. In the background, Nakajima and Sumiya’s high notes shine, adding another layer of quality.
Stellar performance by TOBARI, their best to date.
Final considerations
TOBARI has kicked off the In-Yo CD series with what is the group’s best CD release to date.
Despite loving the work the group did as part of pioniX, I was missing the dark, emotional sound that TOBARI has. And the group sure delivered that – and more.
Kuroi Hashiba‘s “Setsunateki Blast” was all about its eerily explosive emotional sound and powerful performance.
The contrast between an emotional, heart-bare side of the character and the darkness and twisted feelings going on on the other side, left quite the mark on me. The violence in this song is not hidden.
This is a full display of violence – words and music – that will render you speechless the first time you listen to this song.
Sumiya’s performance stands out for its technicality and emotional range.
He goes from those breathy mid-tones in the intro vs his delicate high notes in the pitch vocals to muffled, violent vocals in the pre-chorus, until you get to his raw, emotional vocals in the chorus.
This performance is a rollercoaster ride with quality visible in every single detail.
“Gekkou” is a dreamy track however more focused on beauty than on darkness.
And that beauty can be felt in the shamisen melodies that end up dictating how the whole song flows; up to the way the song is performed.
If there is a song perfect to exemplify what TOBARI is all about is this one. To say this song is impressive is an understatement.
All in all, TOBARI is back with its best sound and performances ever, kicking off the “In-Yo” series in a way that will leave you with your mouth ajar.
TOBARI stole the show with “In – Black with high purity”, releasing what is – currently – the best CD by a group in the Tsukipro/Sunpro franchise. Absolutely masterful from the performances down to the compositions and mood.
TOBARI’s 陰 (In) is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
“In – Black with high purity” is available for streaming on Spotify.
Do not support piracy. Remember to support TOBARI by streaming via official outlets.
