Making her return with one of the most anticipated releases of 2021, MIKUROMIKA brings MIKUROPOP to the international music scene. Set to drop on July 23rd with a worldwide release under SETSUZOKU RECORDS, MIKUROMIKA is ready to throw you into her bright and colourful world of music, fashion and art.
With a punchy mix full of dance breaks and reminiscent of the mid-90s house scene, and generously mixed with clean vocals and spoken word, MIKUROPOP is simply a pleasure on the ears and a joy to behold if you were around during those long summer days of years gone by.
With the earlier release of new track Product Boy to give fans a taste of what the debut album will sound like, artist Mika hasn’t missed a trick here thanks to her catchy pop and electronic dance sound. A fusion of J-pop, dance and house music, MIKUROPOP isn’t there to ease you in; its more like a ‘lets get the party started yesterday’ feel scattered with unique futuristic beats and sounds that somehow feel familiar, like a more avante garde Lady Gaga track. Compared to the usual J-pop sounds that break out of Japan, MIKUROPOP is definitely different in the best possible way.
Thanks to those cool dance beats and Mika’s unique vocals, the overall vibe feels reminiscent of a chilled out, sun-kissed summers day. It is the kind of feel good soundtrack you would expect while enjoying drinks with friends on a late summers night, and it fits the style that Mika herself wants to bring across in her music. Mika describes her musical concept as ‘Japanese FASHION×MUSIC with energetic, feel-good music, inspirational lyrics and colourful performance’, and that is clearly abundant in this record.
The album gets off to an upbeat start with Mikuropop and Product Boy that seem to seamlessly fuse into one another, bringing together a classic house vibe combined with J-pop that will get you chair dancing for sure. The pumping baseline in Mikuropop gives you a heads up on what to expect for the rest of this record. Since its release back in June, Product Boy has been been on heavy rotation and is an absolute banger, if there ever was a better expression.
Her international smash hit and first single to hit 100k views on YouTube, Good Day brings the pace down just a notch with clear and soothing vocals, however it still has a beat behind that wouldn’t go amiss in the club. It is the perfect balance between Product Boy and Sekaiyoko ~ World Traveler, and continues to feel fresh despite being one of Mika’s earlier releases from this year. Oh, and you know when the DJ plays the chilled tunes at the end of the night? Yeah, that is where this track would find its home.
Regarding Good Day, Mika recently told us that Good Day was inspired by a picture of the Japanese photographer/artist Yoshitaka Goto and is a song about a princess who wants to escape from her castle to learn what real life is.
Sekairyoko ~ World Traveler brings with it smooth trance synths and Mika’s quick chatter vocal and a sway together chorus. The mix and composition has that classic summer dance track feel, with the use of a vibraphone synth sound at the start, if you close your eyes you could easily imagine being on beach somewhere miles away from everything. The name of the track perfect for the mood it gives, and is sure to be a hit with fans around the world.
Continuing with light trance synth sounds and a more mellow tempo, BYAKUYU is highlighted for Mika’s unique vocal ability. With an almost tribal quality, the verses really show off her clean, well rounded voice. It follows from Sekairyoko ~ World Traveler perfectly, though feels a little more refreshing in tone compared to the warmth of the previous track, which is fitting, as BYAKUYU has the meaning of white night or arctic night in Japanese, and there is certainly a coolness to this track that Mika perfectly transcends in her vocal technique.
Stepping up the pace with a precise drum loop and a distinctive house-EDM vibe, Mika brings back her spoken word style for Take Action!!, which is an appropriate name. There is a definite old school vibe to this track, one that stirs up memories of house parties back in the 90s where a jam like this would come on and the whole place would just dance in unison without even realising. Much like its beats, this song is ready to pump you up and get you ready to party. It’s a bop, and a really great one at that.
So far, MIKUROPOP is an album that encompasses that nostalgic summer feel, and Small Island is no stranger to this style, either. Light but zesty synths mixed with precise and defined drum beats, each moment builds together in the verse and chorus of Small Island, before taking a sudden, unexpected change in its rhythm to welcome a unique drum break. Mika brings it all back together for the chorus, creating a cocktail of infectious beats that is sure to make Small Island a fan favourite.
Already a charming and well produced track, Baby has been remixed specially for the album. Emerging back in 2020 with a more current pop sound, Baby was inspired by tropical house music combined with Japanese instruments. ‘The story came from a real relationship experience’ Mika told us. It was the first collaboration between Mika and co-executive producer Delta Ouji, who has been brought back to co-produce the new album. It’s a track that slowly grows on you, and one that you will certainly go back to for those feel good, heavenly beats.
Colour of Melody has a slight RnB undertone mixed with the poppy beats that have remained throughout the record, with its repeating chorus its one that you will be humming along too without realising. The use of classic 90s synth sounds and vocal harmonies really work with Mika’s voice. The composition in this one relates so much to the title, with colourful tones and themes you can almost visualise the melody as the song goes on.
As the final track, the mood takes a step back in tempo with Time To Say…, but keeps those interesting key tones, and sets the ending’s mood with little flourishes to remind you of what you have just experienced throughout MIKUROPOP.
After joining the SETSUZOKU roster at the end of 2020, and being the first act on the label that they have fully produced, Mika has made her mark in bringing her quirky yet unique style to the international fandom. And we are all the better for it.
What more can we say? MIKUROPOP is everything we hoped for. Its fun, refreshing, a whole summer mood and more. The production from Ouji is impeccable, and it’s clear that the musicians who worked alongside Mika to create this record knew exactly how to build and create the incredible ongoing theme throughout. Armed with all those lush beats and summer tones, you cannot help but smile and bop out too.
Mika set out to create her own individual style of fusion pop, and she has 100% conquered that. Mixing her love of fashion, music and Japanese culture, she has sent her unique style and sound into the universe forever, and we can’t wait to see where she goes from here.
Track List
- Mikuropop
- Product Boy
- Good Day
- Sekairyoko ~ World Traveler ~
- BYAKUYA
- Take Action!!
- Small Island
- Baby (Album Mix)
- Color of Melody
- Time To Say…
To support MIKUROMIKA:
http://www.mikuromika.com https://twitter.com/3cro_mika https://www.facebook.com/Mikuromika https://instagram.com/mikuromika?utm_medium=copy_link
https://www.setsuzokurecords.com/ https://twitter.com/SetsuzokuR
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