Review | Yuma Uchida “Over”

Yuma Uchida OVER profile

Explosive, impactful and fresh while still familiar, Over takes the throne as Yuma Uchida‘s best single to date.

Yuma Uchida Over
Title: Over
Label: KING AMUSEMENT CREATIVE 
Release date: 19/02/2020
Genre: Pop-Rock/R&B

Tracklist:

1. Over
2. Loser
3. Buzzer Beater
4. Over(off vocal)
5. Loser(off vocal)
6. Buzzer Beater(off vocal)

Track by track analysis:

1. Over

Exciting guitar riffs lead the way for this upbeat rock tune. Over then adds slow-paced, bassy drums, a thunderous bass line into the mix. This simplicity, in the instrumental, especially in a leading track, is rather rare in Uchida’s repertoire however, not only does it fit his voice, but it also doesn’t sound out-of-place.

The bass line shines in this track, reverberating in the ears, taking all attention to its groove while the rest of the band deliver cool melodies to create this exciting rock tune. Bonus points to the guitar solo and fancy drums fill in the bridge.

On the vocal end, Over is not a song that requires much flair. All Yuma Uchida does – and is more than enough – is deliver a raw, emotion-packed performance rooted in his mid-tones.

Catchy chorus, tasteful progression, and a big focus on groove are the greeting cards for this track.


2. Loser

Raging guitar riffs introduce us to Loser. This song mixes rock with electronica in fancy fashion. Atmospheric synths create a unique soundscape that, alongside the trap orchestral hits, overdriven guitar riffs, and a pounding beat, is difficult to not be drawn into it.

The verses are slow-paced, focusing on setting the tone into the explosive and insanely catchy chorus.

The outro kicks off a toms-driven beat and then evolves into a powerful leading guitar riff section slowly building up tension – with the support of synths –, guiding the listener to yet another explosive chorus.

Yuma Uchida delivers a complete performance in Loser. From his emotional mid-toned singing to his hard-hitting rap – good flow and with a natural delivery -, and even those sweet high pitch vocals and flourishes, he managed to impress.

Loser is, hands down, the single’s best song.


3. Buzzer Beater

Buzzer Beater turns things around and synths take over. An 808 and clap track set a comfortable mid-tempo for this track at the same time that brass hits and a noticeable bass line add groove to this track.

This is the first time that Yuma Uchida shows us such a quiet and groovy tune. In the pre-chorus, a sweet, loungy piano melody helps out setting the tone to the addictive and summery chorus.

On the vocal end, Yuma Uchida goes once again for a complete performance, rapping, and singing, adding a lot of flair to his performance. Buzzer Beater is a must addition to your playlist if you’re looking for an energizer track of the highest quality.

Fun and with a lot of flair on both the instrumental and vocal ends, this is one of the best tracks in Over.


Final considerations

Yuma Uchida really went for it, didn’t he? Explosive, impactful, and fresh while still familiar, “Over” takes the throne as his best single to date.

Rock and rap were the biggest additions to this release.

Although Uchida had dabbled in both in the past, this was a complete change of sound, with the tone of the whole single being nothing like what he’s released before.

Over is an exciting track, one that strays away from Yuma Uchida’s typical leading tracks. It’s powerful and imposing at times but it’s rather simple at its core.

Textbook alternative rock tune with a catchy chorus and a nice progression. The tension rises with this song, carrying over to the other tracks in this release.

Loser stole the show. I love the progression and build-up into the chorus and then how dynamics completely change around and the chorus is just powerful, explosive, and full of tension.

Also, worth noting that the progression on the vocal end from the pre-chorus to the chorus is insanely good, love the vocal direction for this track.

To wrap up we get Buzzer Beater. Now, this is yet another unique song in Uchida’s repertoire. While it seemed in the intro that the song could go wrong, it picked itself up pretty quickly and the verses bring old-school hip-hop elements into the mix, adding those to the mix of rapping and R&B riffing in Yuma Uchida’s performance.

Buzzer Beater being led by electronica isn’t necessarily a bad thing as it is perfectly balanced with the other acoustic elements on it – props to the massive bass line in the 2nd verse would have loved the song to have more of it.

Yuma Uchida is, undoubtedly, a name to have in the conversation as the best solo act among male seiyuu.

His performances have been of high quality since his debut and he has been improving by leaps and bounds with each release. His range and technique put him on a different level among the new generation of solo acts – debuted in the late 10s -, and he’s in good company at the top (Makoto Furukawa and Soma Saito share the throne with him).

At the same time, Uchida is showing versatility as an artist that few singers manage to pull off well. He fits like a glove in rock, pop, rap, dance, R&B, and ballads.

At this point, it’s safe to say that you can basically hand him a random song and he’ll still deliver a high-quality performance (kudos to his producing team for all coming up with fresh songs that highlight his vocal skills).

His growth as a solo artist has been a delight to follow and seeing how he’s riding on a lot of momentum since HORIZON, and managed to keep it in Rainbow and now in Over, my expectations are insanely high for any upcoming releases of his.

All in all, Over is Yuma Uchida’s best single to date. One that will please both rock and hip-hop fans. One that sounds fresh but it is still familiar. A must listen in my books.


Over is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.

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

Over
Loser
Buzzer Beater

SUMMARY

Yuma Uchida really went for it, didn’t he? Explosive vocals, impactful performances and fresh instrumentals make "Over", Uchida's best single to date.

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Yuma Uchida really went for it, didn’t he? Explosive vocals, impactful performances and fresh instrumentals make "Over", Uchida's best single to date.Review | Yuma Uchida "Over"