Are you HAMIDASUMO?
Everybody HAMIDASUMO!
That’s right, it’s time for one of the songs that became a You’ll Melt More classic. Hamidasumo’s video is exactly what you’d want in an explosive new wave MV: it’s got British people, slapstick dynamic visuals and the music itself feels like having sugar drilled directly into your skull.
The songs lyrics and composition are the brainchild of Hiroyuki Hayashi from eclectic new wave band POLYSICS. If you were a teenager or somewhat lucid in the 2000’s, you’ll remember they had a huge overseas blow-up in the days of MySpace with “Electric Surfin’ Go Go”
The hyperactivity and fun bloops and bleeps drew a lot of comparison to Devo from… well, Devo fans and the kids in America loved it because it’s something brand new to them. And if you’re a fan of Japanese style new wave you’re probably already a fan of them and acts like P-Model, Halmens and Hikashu.
How did this collaboration come together? You’ll Melt More’s producer is a fan and asked Hayashi. It’s that simple. Hayashi was apprehensive at first but as you can see, eventually he put pen to paper to Moog and started the first of several collaborations between the units.
For a lot of people, the music aspect of liking idols can be kind of disregarded, which might seem strange if you’re reading a blog that started because of the music being alternative. You could disregard mainstream idol music as just “cheap pop” in the same way that people disregard solo pop singers and you could disregard alternative style idol music as just a cheap imitation of “real” alternative music. You’d be a shithead, but there are people that think like that.
A collaboration between two artists like this isn’t a validation of You’ll Melt More being “new wave artists”, but a celebration of the genre! It’s the culmination of decades of culture and counterculture, an iconoclast that uses the past and shapes the future! There’s no Devo without Kraftwerk, no Urbangarde without Halmens and in the future there’ll be an artist who says “I was inspired by You’ll Melt More!”
So hey, celebrate one of the most dynamic and ever changing genres by rewatching the Hamidasumo video! Pour yourself a nice drink, make sure it’s not actually soy sauce and let the barrage of bleeps and bloops take you somewhere fun. Then watch the other 49 Yurumerumo videos. It’s still lockdown, what else are you going to be doing?
