Clear your schedule, the debut Zsasz album is finally here and it requires you full attention at once. We’re talking album of the year material here, people! With an apt title because we sure don’t know how to pronounce it, say hello to 「⸮」!
Where to start ey? If you aren’t already familiar with them, Zsasz are an idol group produced by legendary Vocaloid maestro Utsu-P! Covering his older songs and with a splash of something new, they blend all aspects of the unconventional together to form a unit that’s set to take the world by storm. Their album is a fantastic starting point too, with their overture Z ALERT being a unique take on introductory music. Seriously, how many idol groups walk on stage to a disembodied voice threatening their fans with a good time?
「⸮」 is split between 5 new tracks and the 5 tracks from their debut self titled EP, but completely rerecorded. Brand new instrumentation and vocals, which is a decent bang for your buck and bang in your speakers too. After our starting whistle with Z ALERT, the first song on the album is all new KAWAII NANKAII, which sounds like a fusion between video game boss fight music and that Utsu-P hard rock goodness he’s so beloved for.
If it’s loud and heavy, you’ll find it on the Zsasz album. Everything with an edge from hard rock to nu metal to pop punk is right here. A standout fan favourite is Nuigurumi ni Naritai; juxtaposed against some incredibly heavy bass is the story of how a rabbit witch casts a spell to turn everyone on earth into stuffed animals, but then that plan goes awry when they keep murdering one another. You’ve got yourself an entire daytime soap opera’s worth of drama squeezed into four and a half minutes. A very angsty, very grisly but very soft and cute daytime soap opera.
This isn’t just a hot idol album from a hot idol group, this is a solid body of work that blends together oh so well. The Zsasz girls can sing the house down and if you’ve been lucky enough to see one of their streamed lives on YouTube, you’ll know they’re performers with a capital P to boot. Five vocal powerhouses combined with the man who wields Vocaloids and electric guitars like they’re weapons – you really can’t go wrong.
No excuses, their album is out right now and if you listen to any album this year, it has to be this one. In laymen’s terms: this is THE coolest shit ever.
