Hanabie. // 「HOT TOPIC」 // EP Review

Having never heard of Hanabie. Or Harajukucore, I was sceptical, to say the least, but upon hearing their latest offering, [Hot Topic], I was intrigued and, after a few spins, completely sold on this epic mash-up of metalcore, nu metal, electro, punk and anime.

The biggest obstacle initially was the language barrier, but it fades as soon as you hear the music: the hooky beats, killer riffs, and unbelievable vocal interplay between main protagonists Matsuri (clean vocals) and Yakina (unclean, distorted vocals). The EP opens with “Iconic” and after an electro pop opening the track explodes into life with brutal onslaught of drums, bass and savage riffs that work excellently with the equally savage unclean vocals from Yakina and the contrasting clean vocals from Matsuri but it’s the pounding drum and bass beat from Chika and Hettsu respectively that really drive the track, a bouncing track that is insanely catchy.

“Spicy Queen” ramps up the intensity with an all out metalcore attack; fast, furious and will leave you gasping for air, Yakima takes the lead on this one putting in one hell of a shift as she spits out the lyrics with serious venom backed up nicely by a thumping drum beat and brutal riffs, this is an absolute banger. “トキメキAbout you” changes things up again, this time with a more nu metal rap style. Matsuri’s clean vocals come to the fore here, with Yakima mainly utilised at the chorus. Another banging drum beat from Chika pushes this one along nicely. “Girl’s Talk” brings metalcore back with its punchy beat and hooky riffs; the vocals, back and forth between Matsuri and Yakima, are deadly, giving the track that extra push. The EP closes with “はなびえんちゃん。のテーマ”, a short, crazy anime, Japanese game show style track, memories of Sunday morning obscure cartoons come flooding back, but it is a cool way to finish it off and a sweet note compared to the chaos that came before.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I love this, quirky, most definitely odd, but above all brilliant!

Review: Conor

「HOT TOPIC」 is out 28th January via Sony Music.