REVIEW

“Love Song from the Water” is an album collecting the in-game songs from the mobile title Heaven Burns Red. Originally released on CD on October 26, 2022, the album became available on streaming platforms on July 21, 2024.

The project is led by Jun Maeda, one of the key creative figures behind Key, known for classic visual novels such as Kanon, AIR, and CLANNAD. Beyond composition, Maeda has built his reputation as a scenario writer, and the emotionally charged narratives he creates have resonated with fans for decades.

Vocals are handled by Yanagi Nagi, who first gained widespread attention under the name nagi as a guest vocalist on supercell’s “Kimino Shiranai Monogatari,” before making her major-label solo debut in 2012 with “Vidro Moyou,” the ending theme for Waiting in the Summer. Since then, she has continued to contribute to numerous anime and game soundtracks, her clear and fragile voice adding emotional depth to each story she touches.

The collaboration between these two specialists in emotional storytelling feels like a perfect match. The album fully lives up to Heaven Burns Red’s tagline, “EMBRACE THE ULTIMATE SORROW.”

The opening track, #1 “Before I Rise,” immediately signals Maeda’s signature style, with an introductory piano motif that feels unmistakably his. A strong beat and uplifting melody suggest the beginning of a long emotional journey. Later, #7 “Natsu Kikyu” unfolds as a nostalgic ballad that evokes the vastness of a summer sky, recalling the wistful atmosphere of AIR. On #12 “Kimino Yokogao,” fragility, melancholy, and momentum converge, its delicate piano lines unexpectedly calling to mind the progressive house and dream trance of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Yanagi Nagi previously collaborated with Maeda on the concept album Owari No Hoshi No Love Song in 2012, but here—recorded nearly a decade later—her growth as a vocalist is unmistakable. She navigates Maeda’s notoriously idiosyncratic melodies with far greater freedom and control. In interviews, she has even described singing his compositions as a form of training, which gives some indication of just how demanding they are—something that comes through clearly, if humorously, in her remarks.

Among all the tracks, the one I most strongly recommend to shoegaze listeners is #13 “White Spell.” Wrapped in an almost unbearable sense of sorrow, Yanagi Nagi’s voice drifts through a backdrop of swirling sound that feels like a storm of diamond dust. It stands as one of the album’s most emotionally devastating moments.

In the CD booklet, Maeda himself described “White Spell” as the track that evolved most dramatically from its demo form. The overwhelming guitar in the chorus is likely the work of arranger MANYO, and it introduces a texture reminiscent of shoegaze and post-rock acts such as Whirr or Sigur Rós. It’s hard not to wonder what specific references informed that sound. As if that weren’t enough, the outro delivers a final emotional blow with delicate piano lines evocative of BT or Robert Miles, leaving a lingering aftertaste that refuses to fade.

Every element of the track cuts deep, and I found myself tearing up more often than I care to admit with each listen.

That said, writing about “White Spell” without experiencing Heaven Burns Red itself feels fundamentally incomplete. With Maeda serving as both scenario writer and songwriter, the connection between narrative and lyrics is almost certainly essential. Hearing the song in isolation can’t possibly convey its full impact.

So, without hesitation, I installed Heaven Burns Red. When “White Spell” finally plays during the game, what kind of story will unfold? I genuinely can’t wait to find out.