My apologies to everybody — readers, contributors, hate mail-senders, idols, managers, producers, songwriters, videographers, promoters, wota, et al ad nauseum — for getting to the latest glorious track from the font of universal happiness that is amiinA several days late. But when I started to think about the song and everything around it, I had this incredible need to Say Things, and only just ran into a good chunk of time to do so, ergo.

This is “Caravan”. It’s the lead from amiinA’s upcoming second album, due on the 26th. Consider yourself blessed:

Also, the band is called THE CHERRY COKE$ and I could not love that more

The post title says it all; to listen to amiinA is to go on a journey, not to bubblegum pastels or Rated-G romance like in so much idol fare, nor into the uncomfortable places within as in so much other, but to enter a dreamworld of adventure, a Neverland where the best and brightest ideals of things exist and earnest effort will always pay off. This song is the narrative on one of those personal sagas, telling a raucous story without you ever really needing to know the words. Double bonus points: The “forest rock” of Armor Girls was always my runaway favorite part of Kamen Joshi, and here’s a song that just outdid that entire concept by a country mile.

If you think about it, the artistic totality of amiinA is one of the best-crafted in idol, if not musical performance in general. The songs are tuned to fit into that space for daydream personal epics that anybody can enjoy; the idols’ visual presentation reflects in its dance and stance the target emotions of the audience; and the overall visual presentation, from stage to video, recalls paper cut-outs and collages and theatrical sets, like a Wes Anderson movie without the smarm, a pop-up book rendered real.

“Caravan” is not new, and the album that it’s appearing on is only the group’s second, which is mind-boggling when you consider that amiinA has existed in one form or another for longer than most idol projects can dream. The slow-burn approach seems to work for them, though, and it certainly leaves room for expansive, interpretive renditions of the product. All I can say that I hope is for the album to carry through that big, bold, tempera-shaded spirit on every song. If it’s more of this, it’s going to be great.