SOLIDEMO - 8 Collars Review

SOLIDEMO (a combination of the words Solid and Emo) is a J-pop boy band formed in 2013 and signed to avex trax. After a series of successful singles like Girlfriend and Heroine, 8 Collars is their debut full-length album. Every one of their major label singles is included on the album, making for a really solid (no pun intended) first look at this group.

SOLIDEMO - Girlfriend PV

The album has a really strong start, with three almost unforgettable songs right off the bat. The opening track "Could U Be My Girl?" is impossibly catchy, and "Gimme Gimme LOVE" has one of the best chorus buildups on the album. The lead single, "Girlfriend", is possibly my favorite song on the whole album. It's not just a super memorable and dance-able song, but also pretty well-rounded in emotional tone. The changes between the verses and the chorus are perfect. It's no wonder this group is doing as well as they are. It's not just the catchy or dance-able songs that stand out, though. The slower songs, which make up most of the middle section of the album, are also very well-written and performed. Every member in the group has a great voice and emotional range. While nothing else on the album gets up to the same level as those first three songs, there's a lot more depth to be found in the later tracks. I really love the closer, "Kimi no Mama de". It's a beautifully performed piano ballad, and probably the best choice they could have made as a closer.

I'm finding it hard to pick out anything I DON'T like about this album. Everything is just put together so well, it's a really strong debut. I guess if there were anything slightly negative to say, it's that the members' personalities and singing voices don't stand apart from one another as much as they might in a more well-established group. Still, it's a pretty great album. It just goes to show that avex really knows how to find amazing talent. I look forward to hearing what SOLIDEMO does in the future!

Favorite Songs: Could U Be My Girl?, Girlfriend, Missing You, Kimi no Mama de

SOLIDEMO Are:
-Shunei Watanabe (SCHNELL) (Leader)
-Takeshi Mukaiyama
-Kazuya Sasaki
-Keiichi Sawaki
-Yuki Nakayama
-Hiroyuki Kimata
-Tomoya Yamaguchi
-Akito Teshima

For More Information:
Official Site: solidemo.jp
Official Facebook: facebook.com/avexSOLIDEMO
Official Twitter: twitter.com/staff_SOLIDEMO2
Official Youtube: youtube.com/user/SOLIDEMOst

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