scent of memory

scent of memory

There’s a restless energy on Tokyo outfit SEKAI NO OWARI’s 2021 album, scent of memory. Two years after delving into ballads and societal critiques on Eye, the quartet pushes itself even further on its fifth full-length. Players once only playing instruments take the microphone, while main vocalist Fukase experiments with rapping. Meanwhile, the group uses orchestral samples from other Japanese creators for the first time—and dabbles in dance and gospel. Scent of memory kicks off with “Like a scent,” in which Fukase introduces his new rap persona: “Yo, MC Fuga in the house,” he declares. The surprise announcement plays out against another new development for the group; a loop celebrating Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “Happy End” is the first time SEKAI NO OWARI has tipped its hat to another artist in this way. Fukase steps away from the mic on “Kagerou,” letting pianist Saori handle singing on the midtempo number. This eagerness to try new things also plays out in the band’s genre choices for the album. The band picks up the BPM on the sleek dance cut “Shuhasu” and works with a gospel choir to add extra gravitas to the soulful “Birdman.” Yet its fifth album also allows the group to revisit some of its early sounds. “Dropout” returns to the bouncy EDM and optimistic lyrics that defined the band around the time of 2015’s Tree. And on “umbrella,” SEKAI NO OWARI dips back into the string-accented rock found on early albums and topping them with bell chimes. The outfit visits new musical terrains on scent of memory but as the title suggests, it’s never too far from where it came from.

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