What I like about SixTONES is that you never get the same symphonic experience twice. So much pop music is manufactured into a specific formula of chords and key changes that are pleasant to the ear, but monotonous to the soul. Not SixTONES. 

These six incredibly talented guys have been forging a path for themselves that is unlike any of their contemporaries. Relying on feeling not formula, each offering from the group is even more sonically delicious than the last. With their fourth studio album, THE VIBES, the group built off the maturity of the previously released 声 (KOE, or “voice” in English) but also kept the fun and funk their fans are used to.

Highlights from the album include: 

こっから (KOKKARA)

A fitting opening track, it’s one of the group’s most successful on YouTube and sets the tone for a rollercoaster of musicality that only SixTONES can deliver. 

アンセム (ANTHEM)

The title says it all because that’s exactly what this song is. 

ABARERO

One of the group’s best tracks (in my opinion) it’s one best listened to at full volume.   

Something from Nothing

Adding a bit of industrial to their pop-rock sound, it’s an incredible track, I cannot wait to see them perform live.   

Only Holy

There’s something perfect about the placement of this track. The song is softer, sweeter, and simply put more adult than a lot of their tracks. 

CREAK

One of the two themes to the TV Asahi mystery drama “Knockin’ on Locked Door,” which stars group member Hokuto Matsumura along with Naniwa Danshi’s center cutie Daigo Nishihata, it’s a strange and unusual romp of shadows and symphony.  

Bang Bang Bangin’

With a touch of Latin flare and 80s synths of the chorus of this track, there’s a purposeful disjointedness that shouldn’t work, but it does, and well. 

An exclusive for the Regular version Drive -THE VIBES ver.- I love that the group includes a different version of a former B-side track (this one was included on ABARERO). 

Limited Edition A also includes the following tracks:

DRAMA – The beat is hard, the lyrics are sensual, and every word drips with SixTONES signature sexpeal. 

House of Cards – This song feels like it would have been a perfect coupling track with CREAK. A mid–tempo power ballad the sensuality of DRAMA is replaced by raw emotions – vulnerable and heartbroken.  

This version also comes with a Blu-ray (or DVD) that includes the following music videos:

  • アンセム (ANTHEM)
  • アンセム – Live Performance Only ver.
  • ABARERO -Dance Performance Only version
  •  こっから -Dance Performance Only version
  • CREAK -Dance Performance Only version 
  • Music Video Making for アンセム (ANTHEM)

Limited Edition B includes the following unit tracks: 

Jesse×Yugo Kochi: Blue Days – Fitting for the album, it’s one of those songs you can just vibe to. Something about this song reminds me of the music I would listen to with my best friend when we would cruise around during the summer. 

Taiga Kyomoto×Shintaro Morimoto: 希望の唄 (English: Song of Hope) – another sharp turn, this fast-paced track is, to put it simply, fun! It reminds me of something you’d hear at the beginning of an adventure-themed anime. 

Hokuto Matsumura×Juri Tanaka: スーパーボーイ(English: Super Boy) – Another perfect fit for an album called THE VIBES, there’s something about the way Tanaka and Matsumura play off one another. It’s a great track that’s both chill, but also incredibly fun!

Limited Edition B also comes with music videos for each of the unit tracks. 

It’s a solid album, and the perfect next step for the group. It’s youthful and fun, but there’s also a bit more maturity than some of their previous releases. The group is growing. They know who they are and they know what they want, and that’s what gives SixTONES their signature shine. 

 ☆  ☆  ☆  ☆ ☆

You can order any one of the three editions for THE VIBES wherever Japanese CDs are sold, including CD JAPAN. 

More SixTONES soon so…

Stay Tuned!