LADYBABY’s sort of surprise-springing this digital single on us, but I doubt that too many people are going to complain. This is a group that’s pretty much always done what they wanted, and damn the man, like they exist within this idol milieu but also somewhat apart from it. Frankly, more groups should probably operate that way!

I don’t have enough cultural context to make this work in my head, and would therefore appreciate some tutorial about why I’m wrong, but let me preface this by noting just how high my eyebrow arched when I looked at the description stuff and saw “KAWAII-DEATH” and “something something Showa era songs.” Like I don’t get entirely where they’re going with that, but … well, I presume that this is what that means:

I don’t know if doing so was intentional, but this song is a long string of elements aligned in such a way as to almost be a parody of loudol tropes, only to be entirely too honest about itself and therefore not a parody at all, but totally committed to the act, like The Shaggs. And, on top of all of that, it sounds like the most LADYBABY song that’s ever been Ladybabied, and that’s saying something — nobody else can so earnestly pull off tunes as wild-ass and still come across as completely sincere in doing so. Now, maybe I’m missing something, and this is in fact tongue-in-cheek to the point of facial deformity (It would make sense! Have you heard Rie’s solo work?). I don’t get that feeling, though. Not enough winking at the camera, you know?

Be all of that as it may, LADYBABY has a one-man coming up in a few weeks:

I feel like this version of the group is still waiting to cash in its chips and have that breakout moment, and maybe this is it.