Yuma Uchida shines brightly in a concise set of songs in the flawless 10th single “Congrats!!”.
Title: Congrats!! Release date: 21/09/2022 Label: KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE Genre: R&B/Ballad/Rock/Citypop
Tracklist:
1 - Congrats!! (with friends) Yuma Uchida with Kaito Ishikawa, Junya Enoki, Soma Saito, Tasuku Hatanaka, Natsuki Hanae and Taku Yashiro 2 - Echo 3 - Go Roly! 4 - Congrats!! 5 - Congrats!! (with friends) (off vocal) 6 - Echo (off vocal) 7 - Go Roly! (off vocal)
Track by track analysis:
1 – Congrats!! (with friends)
The single kicks off with “Congrats!! (with friends)”, song featuring guest vocals by Yuma Uchida’s close friends Kaito Ishikawa, Junya Enoki, Soma Saito, Tasuku Hatanaka, Natsuki Hanae, and Taku Yashiro.
“Congrats!! (with friends)” welcomes listeners to a dreamy soundscape much in the same vibe as “NEW WORLD” however, think of this song as a mature twist to that very first song.
Energy levels are high in this track with the relentless bassy beat and fancy guitar riffs making sure the verses will hype you up.
There are a couple of interesting things going on in the verses. The first and second verse may share the same structure and have the same progression but their vibe and instrumental are rather different. In the first verse, the focus is put on a cool mix of rock and hip-hop with atmospheric synths.
In the 2nd verse, there is ska and EDM joining in the instrumental, adding a unique twist. I was not expecting ska at all to be in this song – that is already pretty busy – but, somehow, it worked pretty well, melding into the song like it’s no big deal.
With so many vocals in the same track, my initial worry was that it would get chaotic however I love how the vocals were used. The 6 guest vocals joined the song to help primarily with the little chants and pitch vocals, only later on joining the song in full force (by the time of the “la la la” part).
In this way, you have the full focus still on Yuma Uchida’s vocals and when it makes sense in the song, you have the guest vocals kicking in – usually in trios – to boost the energy levels in this track.
Awesome way to kick off this single.
2 – Echo
Melancholic guitar riffs, somber strings, and a forlorn piano melody play in the background as Yuma Uchida’s voice slowly opens the curtains to the empty stage in front of you.
This rock ballad will hit you like a truck. The way the song progresses, from its quieter, simplistic sound in the verses to the full-fledged, intense rock sound leaves a mark.
It is as if emotions are pouring out and all you can do and feel them on your skin as you immerse yourself in this song.
The bridge brings pizzicato strings to the spotlight, serving as an interesting contrast to Uchida’s lower-toned vocals in that section.
“Echo” features one of the most interesting performances I’ve heard from Yuma Uchida. While a big chunk of the song is performed with his sweet mid-tones, he goes high and low on his vocal range, adding an R&B flair to his performance in the verses with riffing, and beautiful falsetto while performing it all in whisper-style.
Then, when he gets to the chorus, emotions pour out and he brings all the power you can imagine, vocalizing in a way that is big, and intense yet never yelling. That control and consistency are impressive and are a big reason why “Echo” shines in this single.
3 – Go Roly!
“Go Roly!” brings funk and citypop to the spotlight. It is undeniable that you’re taken back in time for this classy tune.
A rhodes piano melody leads the way as an 808 beat smoothly adds a bounce to this track. The verses have a cool vibe to them, something that the punchy bassline and funky guitar melodies further explore when the chorus kicks in.
The vibes are good, the mood is loungy and the soundscape is that of a late summer night, gazing at the neon lights.
There is some nostalgia yet a lot of mature fun going into this performance.
On top of it all is Yuma Uchida’s smooth performance. For this song, he opted to embrace a softer, quieter, and more melodic twist to his voice, running with it for the whole track. What you get is a surprisingly gentle performance that is more warm than energetic.
4 – Congrats!!
And you wrap up this single the same way you kicked it off, with “Congrats!!”.
This time around, there are barely any changes made to the instrumental but it is more noticeable the changes on the vocal end, now that Yuma Uchida takes the stage alone.
And he shines. The biggest change is on the pitch and backing vocals in which, this time around, he is doing everything from rapping to clean singing.
Just like the “with friends” version, “Congrats!!” is a bundle of fun, an energizer that shows that upbeat songs don’t have to be cheesy to be fun.
Final considerations
Ah… It feels good to listen to a Yuma Uchida single! Really. It’s always a rush and a bundle of fun by the end of it all.
“Congrats!!” arrives to celebrate Uchida’s 10th single release as well as his 30th birthday and does so in style with a title track overflowing with energy and with a star-studded guest lineup adding an extra shot of liveliness.
“Echo” may go under the radar for being a rock ballad but what a fantastic track it is, not to mention how technical it is for Yuma Uchida. He showed almost everything he can do in that song, covering practically his full vocal range while adding a lot of flair to what is, in my opinion, the highlight of this single.
“Go Roly!” is short and sweet in its approach to citypop music. This is the type of song you’d easily say is all about its “feel good” vibe. The song not only is crazy fun but it also adds a mature touch with its loungy sound.
And, of course, “Congrats!!” but without the friends ends up being the same song however without the dynamic on the pitch and backing vocals that the first track had. As a result, fans get to listen to more Yuma Uchida while rapping and performing clean singing.
All in all, Yuma Uchida’s “Congrats!!” welcomes him in style to one of the best decades in one’s life while being a positive, relevant addition to his repertoire overflowing with quality tunes and performances.
“Congrats!!” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
“Congrats!!” is available for streaming on Spotify.
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