How long have I been kvetching about not hearing anything from the 969 album that’s due out, like, imminently? About just plain not having it? Long enough, at least a month, which is an eternity in idol because, as we know, entire groups’ rosters can turn over in that much time.

Anyway, here it is!

Sorry!*

This song pre-cured my budding hangover. I want to run through a wall just to find another, bigger wall to run through. The only real detriment is that my internal hype engine had this revved so high that the result was destined to fall short, and I’m like nitpicking it — you don’t need the harsh vocals you’re perfect as you are! — and hating myself every second of it. I think I just spontaneously got a tattoo of Reirei’s glare across my chest. Car alarms are going off in this neighborhood.

Yes, in case you didn’t know, 969 is my sneaky favorite thing in idol, has been for a long time, and should be getting way way way way way more attention than they do. It looks like whoever manages them (is it the band, or is that just friends stuff?) decided to re-tool a little bit after the initial breakup, so gone were the regular video posts and ancillary efforts to show off the members’ musical prowess, which sucks for the mes of the world who, like, need those videos to get through life, because I ain’t going to Tokyo.

Anyway, yeah, this is good and I am pleased. 969 runs as close to what my vision for an Americanized idol project would look and sound like, so seeing them do their thing is as close as I’ll ever get to seeing that dream realized.

*Largely an excuse to post the greatest music meme of all time