Buono! - Hatsukoi Cider / Deep Mind
1. Hatsukoi Cider
2. Deep Mind
3. Hatsukoi Cider (Instrumental)
4. Deep Mind (Instrumental)
Source
Buono!'s first release of 2012 is arguably their best since their Shugo Chara days. "Zassou no Uta" didn't have a very distinctive tune (I can't remember anything about it and "Juicy He@rt" except the generic heavy guitar sound.) "Natsu Dakara" was a fresh song, but better enjoyed in retrospect. It was a drastic image change for a single a-side. And to be honest, my main exposure to "Partenza" was on their YouTube live-streamed concert, so I can't really speak about it. From previews and the live stream, it sounded okay.
But this double a-side hooked me on first listen. Instead of splitting up the group's image and charm, each song is whole. We get our rock and beautiful harmonies!
Hatsukoi Cider had me hooked in the first 30 seconds, which is rare for a song to do. It wasn't a "listen and choose whether to re-listen and hope it grows on me" song, but a "can this song be more beautiful, oh gosh it just did, squee" song. The guitars have a nostalgic oldies twang, Buono!'s voices blend beautifully, and the chorus is a more relaxing upbeat. It's a feel-good pop-rock song, optimistic and sweet, lacking fierceness and all-out energy and making up for it with charm and an interesting melody. And the music video is very cool, very retro. It's just the girls, their band, a white background, and their sharp pink suits. Camera angles and a nesting effect sync up with verses to add some action. The flow is amazing.
The second a-side, Deep Mind, was actually the first that I heard due to previews. Maybe that spoiled it, as Hatsukoi Cider's music video was sudden, with no previews (so no preconceived expectations for the video.) The song itself is all right. The variety in the tune makes it dynamic and it has the hard rock sound everyone expects out of Buono! nowadays. But after listening to Hatsukoi Cider, "Cider" totally outshines it. Deep Mind's chorus is too jarring for me to want to listen to it multiple times. It fits because it was used as the theme song to a horror movie, but still, it's a song that's best appreciated in single, isolated doses. (Don't get me wrong, the chorus sounds cool. But it's not relaxing.) The video is just darkness and fierce girls. It's all about the music and girls' performance in this video, down to basics. Same as "Cider", just with an opposite mood.
Check out Buono!'s awesome homages with their covers!
Rating: Classic, just for Hatsukoi Cider alone. Deep Mind is more in the Fondly Remembered category. It could have just blended in with the "Zassou no Uta" single songs, but its unique chorus and tune changes save it.
Buy the single on:
iTunes (US) (Deep Mind only)
YesAsia
CD Japan
Amazon Japan
* The limited version, not listed here, has a different cover and a DVD.
Hatsukoi Cider
Deep Mind
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