By 2022, Snow Man had already established themselves as one of the most unstoppable forces in J-pop, but with their sophomore album the group set out to prove something even bigger: that there was no single definition of what “Snow Man” could be. They were constantly shifting, growing, and evolving, refusing to be confined by expectations or the formulaic, cookie-cutter image of what a pop group was supposed to be.

To bring that idea to life, the nine members transformed themselves into musical scientists inside a sonic laboratory, experimenting with genres, sounds, and concepts mixed with their undeniable chemistry. The result was a collection of songs that pushed the boundaries of the group’s identity while celebrating everything fans had already fallen in love with.

Welcome to 『Snow Labo. S2』.

Released on 21 September 2022, the album’s concept of musical experimentation allowed each member to leave a distinct fingerprint on the project. Rather than following a single creative direction, each of the nine members adopted a different genre and helped select songs that reflected their individual tastes and artistic interests. From sleek dance-pop and contemporary R&B to emotional ballads and high-energy performance pieces, the album constantly shifts between styles without ever losing the unmistakable DNA that makes Snow Man who they are. No matter how wildly the experiment evolves, the group’s chemistry remains the constant, the element that binds every track together and transforms a collection of genres into a cohesive Snow Man experience.

Chosen by Ryota Miyadate, the album’s pre-release track ｢JUICY｣ welcomed listeners into a dazzling disco daydream and one of the most irresistibly danceable songs in Snow Man’s catalog. Bursting with energy the track practically demanded listeners get on their feet, and many fans happily obliged, as the song inspired a viral TikTok trend that saw fans around the world taking on the infectious JUICY dance challenge.

One of my favorite tracks on the album, ｢キッタキッテナイ｣ (Loose English: Cut or Uncut), was Sakuma’s contribution to the project. Equal parts playful wordplay, infectious earworm, and candy-colored chaos, the track takes a deceptively simple concept and transforms it into three minutes of pure serotonin. Written around the universal panic of a boy trying to determine whether the girl he likes actually cut her hair after hitting him with the dreaded question, “Do you notice anything different?” and spirals into an increasingly frantic internal debate. Leaning heavily into quirky hooks, rapid-fire vocal exchanges, and an irresistibly bouncy melody, the song is weird, witty, and wonderfully addictive – just like Sakuma himself who takes an everyday romantic dilemma into something hilariously relatable.

While the album includes the previous singles ｢ブラザービート｣ and ｢Secret Touch｣ one notable absence was the group’s seventh single ｢オレンジkiss｣ (English: Orange Kiss).

Edition A Audio Disc
💿 ｢ブラザービート｣
💿 ｢JUICY｣
💿 ｢Tic Tac Toe｣
💿 ｢Toxic Girl｣
💿 ｢ミッドナイト･トレンディ｣ (English: Midnight Trendy)
💿 ｢Secret Touch｣
💿 ｢Brand New Smile｣
💿 ｢BOOM BOOM LIGHT｣
💿 ｢キッタキッテナイ｣
💿 ｢Movin’ up｣
💿 ｢This is LOVE｣
💿 ｢ボクとキミと｣ (English: Me and you)
💿 ｢HYPNOSIS ｣
💿 ｢ガラライキュ!｣
💿 ｢Color me live…｣

Edition A Video Disc
📼 ｢JUICY｣ (Music Video)
📼 ｢ボクとキミと｣ (Music Video)
📼 ｢Secret Touch｣
📼 ｢ブラザービート｣
📼 ｢JUICY｣ (Multi-angle video)
📼 Snow Labo.S2 Behind The Scenes
📼 M of L ~The Animation 2~ Presented by Snow Chill

External extras also included a serial number for exclusive video, a PET sleeve, and one-piece box

Today, one of the most anticipated aspects of every Snow Man album is the opportunity to see the members step outside their usual roles and experiment in smaller combinations. For their sophomore release, Snow Labo. S2 continued that tradition with a collection of playful, stylish, and emotional unit tracks that allowed for the group’s personalities to shine. Each song felt uniquely tailored to its performers, offering listeners a closer look at the individual tastes and charms hidden within the group’s collective brilliance.

One of the album’s most seductive moments is ｢HYPNOSIS｣, performed by Hikaru Iwamoto, Koji Mukai, and Ren Meguro. While Meguro has been my bias since the moment I discovered Snow Man, Mukai and Iwamoto showed up ready to challenge him for the keys to my heart, with their effortless sexuality and magnetic charisma.

｢ガラライキュ!｣ (English: Girl, I Liked You) finds Tatsuya Fukazawa, Raul, and Shota Watanabe embracing a playful, lighthearted charm. The song’s sweet lyrics and whimsical energy remind me of the animated series The Littles, with the trio acting like unseen guardians quietly helping the girl they adore become the best version of herself. 

One of the album’s most beautiful tracks, ｢Color me live…｣ is built around a soft dance-pop sound and subtle ocean imagery with Ryohei Abe, Ryota Miyadate, and Daisuke Sakuma floating effortlessly through a sea of warmth and sweetness.

Edition B Audio Disc
💿 ｢ブラザービート｣
💿 ｢JUICY｣
💿 ｢Tic Tac Toe｣
💿 ｢Toxic Girl｣
💿 ｢ミッドナイト･トレンディ｣ (English: Midnight Trendy)
💿 ｢Secret Touch｣
💿 ｢Brand New Smile｣
💿 ｢BOOM BOOM LIGHT｣
💿 ｢キッタキッテナイ｣
💿 ｢Movin’ up｣
💿 ｢This is LOVE｣
💿 ｢ボクとキミと｣ (English: Me and you)
💿 ｢HYPNOSIS ｣
💿 ｢ガラライキュ!｣
💿 ｢Color me live…｣


Edition B Video Disc
📼 ｢HYPNOSIS｣
📼 ｢ガラライキュ!｣
📼 ｢Color me live…｣
📼 ｢ボクとキミと｣ (Lip Sync Video)
📼 ｢REFRESH｣ (Dance Video)
📼 ｢From Today ｣ (Lip Sync Video)
📼 Revenge on the ○○ game!

External extras also included a serial number for exclusive video, a PET sleeve, and one-piece box

Warm, sincere, and overflowing with affection, ｢ボクとキミと｣ (English: Me and You) serves as the third and final chapter of Snow Man’s beloved “boyfriend trilogy.” Following ｢君の彼氏になりたい｡｣ (I Want to Be Your Boyfriend) and ｢僕の彼女になってよ｡｣ (Please Be My Girlfriend), the track feels like the happy ending fans had been waiting for, transforming years of yearning and romantic uncertainty into a celebration of two hearts finally walking forward together.

The Regular version of the album also included a single bonus track:

💿 ｢Happy Birthday｣
External extras also included a serial number for exclusive video C, a PET sleeve, and a photo book.

Commercially, Snow Labo. S2 was another massive success, dbuting at number one on the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart, selling astonishing 891,000 copies in its first week, surpassing the already monumental opening sales of Snow Mania S1 and becoming the highest first-week album debut in Japan for 2022. Critically, the album was praised for its willingness to experiment, with each member contributing ideas that reflected their individual musical tastes and personalities – resulting in one of the most diverse and creatively ambitious releases of their career.

Always wanting to out do themselves, Snow Man set to work almost immediately on their next release.

There will be more soon so…

Stay Tuned!