Following up their promotions for Japanese single Different, LE SSERAFIM have released a music video for its b-side Kawaii. As they clearly want you to know from the producer tag attached to its title, this song was composed by popular Japanese musician Gen Hoshino. This is quite a coup for the group, instantly lending Kawaii a sense of artistic flair it might have lacked if it had emerged from a song camp.
You can hear this quirkiness throughout Kawaii, though overall the song adheres to popular percussive trends of the moment. Melodically, it sounds as if it wants to be a more effusive dance track, but its skittering drums and muted synths give it a moodier style. As I’ve stated many times on the blog this year, I’m so past ready to see this particular production style fall out of vogue. We’ve been inundated to such a point that all these songs tend to blend together into one amorphous musical goo. They’re cool and vibey but not particularly fun to listen to.
To its credit, Kawaii boasts a bit more energy than most of its contemporaries. The song itself is sturdy and performed with enough verve to almost break free from the constraints of its fitful arrangement. In particular, the chorus has great potential. I would have loved to hear a more daring instrumental underneath — maybe some of the exciting electronic beats favored by J-pop mainstays like Perfume? As it stands, there’s not much about Kawaii that makes me want to come back for another listen.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Production | 8 |
| Longevity | 8 |
| Bias | 7 |
| RATING | 7.75 |
