Veronica’s “Tokuyaku” delivers a surprising and refreshing twist, showcasing both the band’s eclectic sound and significant character growth for Momochi.
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Review
Title: Dear Vocalist HEADLINER Entry NO.5 Veronica
Label: Rejet
Release date: 25/09/2024
Genre:
Tracklist (DISC 1):
1 - 特攻薬 (NEW SONG)
2 - 白昼夢 (NEW SONG)
3 - days
4 - 長雨
5 - winding road
Track by track analysis:
1 – Tokuyaku (特攻薬)
Veronica kicks off this CD with “Tokuyaku” song that brings quite a dramatic sound.
The entrance is quite impactful with a sort of symphonic rock-inspired vibe, bringing strings, heavy guitar riffs, and solemn piano melodies and bells.
This is a song unlike anything the band has released before but their essence is still there.
The verses have a comfortable tempo, with a thunderous bassline leading the way, the drums are incisive and violent alongside the dramatic guitar riffs, screaming in the background as the piano paints the soundscape in darkness.
When the chorus kicks in you’re swept off your feet with one of the most intense and melodramatic parts you could experience from this band.
Guitars scream, Momochi’s (CV: Toshiyuki Toyonaga) emotional vocals will prevent you from even pausing the song.
The bridge lets a glockenspiel take over for a brief bit, adding a layer of fickleness to this song.
Still, that is not enough to prepare you for what follows from Toshiyuki Toyonaga, alongside the emotional guitar solo. Toyonaga goes rough and raspy as he raises his notes, almost screaming into the void left in the soundscape.
Even the vocal direction for this song is unlike anything we’ve experienced so far from Veronica, which is impressive and impactful from the get-go. What an entrance this one is!
2 – Daydream (白昼夢)
Well, well, well. Veronica with a sweet, romantic sound?
Yes, you’re not hearing it wrong, “Daydream” is the first time the band has a song with a romantic, R&B sound that is made to melt to you.
Taiko drums open the song, leaving the soundscape open for an electric guitar and a koto to lead the way.
Traditional Japanese instruments are a big feature in this song – as they have been for the band since the star – with bamboo hits, koto melodies, and even Toshiyuki Toyonaga’s singing style bringing that traditional element to the spotlight.
All of that tied up with the R&B elements in the shuffle-style beat and groovy bassline and even the chill guitar riffs make “Daydream” the highlight of this CD.
And when it comes to the vocals, prepare yourself to be blown away by what Toshiyuki Toyonaga brings to this performance. His high notes, the falsetto, and the head voice parts are mind-blowingly beautiful. But there’s more.
Throughout the verses, he mixes R&B riffing with the traditional Enka style of singing, creating a unique hybrid that feels good and makes you crave more of it.
When “Daydream” wraps up, you’re left equal measures blown away and in love. This is the sweetest song you could get from Veronica and a massive twist to Momochi’s feelings for his significant other in the drama CD parts.
Final considerations
Now, I was not expecting this massive twist to Veronica’s sound – which we all know is insanely eclectic – and to Momochi – when it comes to his character development.
“Tokuyaku” – the CD – shows a more romantic and passionate side to the band’s sound, a reflection of the deep changes Momochi went through in the most recent drama CD when it comes to his feelings and the way he exteriorizes those with his significant other (you, in case you listen to the drama parts).
Momochi is in love and isn’t hiding it this time around under the guise of dominance, control, sexiness, and toxicity that have followed him since the start.
As a result, “Tokuyaku” – the song – brings a symphonic rock sound, very reminiscent of the sound that “love rock” bands in the early 00s had, and cranks up the intensity by having genuinely heavy guitar riffs leading the way. The performance however has a hint of softer emotions and there is still that need for control and dominance felt in the song but now much more subtle in the performance.
But the highlight – and biggest surprise – is the sweet, honey-dripping, romantic song “Daydream”.
It feels too perfect and delicate to be a song performed by Momochi but then you check the drama CD parts and understand that this sound comes from how he shifted his approach to his significant other.
He finally openly admitted to his love for them and that openness shifted his sound from sexy and dangerous to sweet and passionate.
This is an important character development moment for one of the most “stubborn” characters who kept sticking to his toxic ways up until this CD. Growth is felt in this CD and it is something that genuinely puts a smile on my face.
Knowing how the new in-house writers for the story in the Dear Vocalist franchise almost ruined Judah’s romance and character arc, I was expecting big changes for Momochi – perhaps becoming even more violent and toxic (balancing that with weird levels of sexiness).
But the change was positive in this case fitting well with the character development you’d expect from Momochi, dating his significant other since the start of the series (9 years so far, 8 in CDs).
It is still weird to listen to a sweet, delicate, and loving Momochi but what an amazing surprise this is!
All in all, Veronica’s “Tokuyaku” is a release that completely caught me by surprise, more unpredictable and unique than anything the band released in the past, and features some of the best character development for Momochi.
“Entry NO.5 Veronica” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN and Amazon Japan (they ship internationally).
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