Review Summary: The formula remains the same, plus a little more bloat
How to start a review like this? Do I give history? What history is there to give? Not much has changed since Vocaloid producer Utsu-P dropped his 7th album,
UNIQUE, an album that I loved at the time, but became a bit more ambivalent to over repeat listens. Since then, Utsu’s kept busy as online musicians like him usually do, steadily releasing new songs over the course of around a year and a half. We all knew an album would be coming, it was just a matter of when.
Well, here we stand, facing
HAPPYPILLS, the 8th album, and here I stand, having listened to all
21 tracks of it. Yep, it’s a behemoth, so let’s not waste any time, shall we?
To cut to the chase, if you haven’t been sold on Utsu-P's blend of computerized singers usually stylized as traditional Japanese idols mixed with groove metalcore, complete with synthesized metal screams, then this album will not change your mind in any way. It’s the Utsu-P classic formula, with maybe a few new tricks thrown into the bag here and there. It fits comfortably into the niche, consistently enjoyable all the way through.
For those who are a fan of the formula, then you’ll find plenty to like here, especially in Disc 1. “No Care of Life” is the classic flamethrower track in the vein of “Riot” or “Harakiri” from albums past, and similar sentiments can be extended to “Bizarre Food”, which you could technically consider the lead single from this album. Elsewhere, there’s “Hidden Boss” with its unholy ending breakdown, a cover of Kikuo’s “Love Me, Love Me, Love Me” that does little to truly differentiate itself from the original aside from the simple addition of heavy guitars (though that’s really all that needed to be done), and “Vulgar”, which marks the triumphant return of Flower to Utsu’s cadre of voicebanks, and basically sounds like a BMTH song at points.
But it’s “Ga” and “RRRRafflesia” that mark the true highlights of Disc 1. These are the songs where Utsu-P blends in trap elements with his signature VocaMetal. The result are the most unique and engaging songs in the album’s first half, even if they both follow a very similar formula of soft verse followed by explosive energy in the chorus. “RRRRafflesia” in particular steals the spotlight with its ending, a stuttering mix of guitar chugs and trap drums that alternate between loud and soft at the drop of a hat, chaotic and beautiful in its execution.
Moving onto Disc 2, however, the album hits the rough patch. The album’s second half, with the exception of 2 songs, is entirely comprised of songs created with CeVIO, an alternate program to Vocaloid with a totally different set of voicebanks. More than ever, this second half relies entirely on Utsu’s compositional and lyrical skills, the novelty of vocal synths screaming completely removed. On songs like “ATARI FRONT PROGRAM” and “God Willing” (especially the latter), he succeeds excellently. Hell, “Copyright B*tch” even brings back the horn and brass elements from
Unique’s “OGRE” and “Unique Parade” for a glorious 3 minutes.
But then there’s the utterly baffling “B.G.M”, which would normally be an energetic and fun, if not short, track. Shame that the lyrics ruin it off the gate with an irritating repetition of “Bounce bounce boobs bounce”. Elsewhere, “SUSHI-GO-ROUND", “dislike”, and “Collage” just sort of fade into the background with little to make them stand out. Hell, this problem even extends to the first half of the album with “Hello Builder”, a track with significant energy, but less staying power than the 8 songs preceding it.
There’s no kind way to put this, this album is bloated to hell. 21 tracks is fitting for a greatest hits album (coincidentally, Utsu-P's greatest hits album,
GREATEST SHITS, was 21 tracks), but not for a regular release. A couple tracks on the cutting room floor would’ve served the experience well.
Also, on the more nitpicky side, Gumi makes her return on this album after years of absence... only to be absolutely wasted on a short interlude track, and the odd closer “IAMAI”, which chooses to spend its time on spoken word verses, and an underwhelming closer. It’s a little disappointing, considering Gumi was at the helm of some of Utsu-P's best songs in the past.
That being said, despite the bloat present, and the occasional baffling track or two,
HAPPYPILLS is a solid release from a solid artist. While it may not do too much different, it, at the very least, provides one hell of a fun experience, with a bevy of memorable tracks to headbang the day away to. It won’t change many minds, but for those of us who’ve already been hooked, it’ll keep us on the line for a little while longer until the next project rears its head.
