BILLIE IDLE - 4-in-1: THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG EP Review

BILLIE IDLE, one of the best rebel idol groups out there, is back at it again! This time around they've done an EP or mini-album they're calling "4-in-1: THE OFFICIAL BOOTLEG". Each of the 4 tracks on "4-in-1" is focused solely on one member of the group. I was super excited when this was first announced, realizing it would be the first time Nozomi Hirano has ever sang solo in her entire idol career. Her song "どうせ消えてしまう命なら..." was actually the first to come out, with a really cute MV, and I knew the rest of this EP would be incredible based on that song alone. Unfortunately Nozomi's song is the only one here to feature ex-BiS members on backup vocals, but that doesn't make the other songs worse. It just makes them less cool in comparison.

Momose Momo

The first track here is Momose Momo's song, "くわれそう". What strikes me immediately is how un-BILLIE IDLE-like this song is. It feels like a really standard idol song, especially considering Momo's voice. It's catchy though, I love the melody on the chorus. The production is pretty sweet, it's a cute song overall. Musically it does have a little bit of some of the group's signatures from their slower songs. Not what I expect from BILLIE IDLE, but not bad either.

First Summer Uika

In contrast, First Summer Uika's song "恋のマジカルバイブレーション" is much harder and heavier on the power chords. I am absolutely in love with the little synth solo near the end too! Once again it's not really the sound we expect from BILLIE IDLE, but it's more the direction I was hoping for (especially from Uipon). It's super catchy too. It's so heavy that you can't help but headbang. I'm sure this one will translate really well live if they ever take these solo songs to the stage.

Yasui Yuuhi

Yasui Yuuhi's song is another pretty basic idol song, unfortunately. Not that it's a BAD song though! The production is great and Yuuhi has an incredibly strong voice. I love her as a solo singer for sure. I was just hoping for a little more innovation from BILLIE IDLE after seeing what they could do on their albums up to this point. It has a lot of emotion but I don't get a sense of Yuuhi's personality. Her sheer vocal ability is what makes this song for me. She is really an amazing singer.

Hirano Nozomi

Finally we get Nozoshan's song, which I've already said I adore beyond compare. This song is everything I wanted from a BILLIE IDLE release, as well as everything I wanted from a member of BiS. Everything about "どうせ消えてしまう命なら..." is perfect to the last detail. It's like a mini BiS reunion, with Saki, Tentenko, Uika, and Mitchel (the most surprising cameo of the year for sure!) I wish Lui was there, but she's probably too busy being a rockstar these days.

I'm really torn on this release. REALLY, REALLY torn. I love BILLIE IDLE. As I've said, they're my favorite group out there right now. Nozomi's song is perfect, and Uika's song has the energy and power we've come to expect from BILLIE IDLE. The other two just fall kind of flat for me. I like the songs, I just don't like them as BILLIE IDLE songs. They're fine solo songs, which I suppose is what they actually are at the end of the day. I'm not sure any of the songs here are SUPPOSED to represent BILLIE IDLE; rather, they represent the individual members. In that way I love this EP. Looking at it as a BILLIE IDLE record though... it could have been better. All things considered, I'll still be listening to this a lot. Nozomi's song is honestly enough to push this up as one of my favorite releases of the year so far (it's THAT good). As far as idol music goes you can't go wrong with this release. If you want signature BILLIE IDLE though, just stick to the albums for now. Check out Nozoshan's song because it's pure perfection though. I would expect nothing less from writer and producer Kenta Matsukuma (BiS/BiSH).

L-R: Rio Michibayashi, First Summer Uika, Nozomi Hirano, Tentenko, Saki Kamiya, fashion designer NIGO

I don't mean to sound harsh. This is NOT a bad EP by any stretch of the imagination. Every song is good, solidly produced and well-written. I love BILLIE IDLE to death and they really can do no wrong at this point. I just wish some of these songs had a little more personality to them. I don't feel like I know anything about Yuuhi or Momo after this. They are great singers for sure, but their songs didn't really allow their personalities to shine. Uika and Nozomi's did, and I can't help but wonder if it's because they're ex-BiS. Maybe the producers know who the popular ones are and put this thing together accordingly. It's a little unfortunate because I want to see Yuuhi and Momo shine the way I know they can. Especially with Yuuhi's incredible strong voice! I'll be following BILLIE IDLE closely, as always, and see where they go from here. I'm craving more of that punky synthpop they stole our hearts with from the beginning.

-Justin

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BILLIE IDLE® IS:
First Summer Uika
Hirano Nozomi
Momose Momo
Yasui Yuuhi

For More Information:
Website: http://www.billieidle.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/b_idle_official
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG1VeRu87NHxaNuEt_a3jzw