REVIEW

The seventh album from Tokyo-based artist robounoishi.

Operating with two distinct identities—as a Vocaloid producer and as a full band project—robounoishi has steadily expanded his stylistic range across an increasingly prolific catalog. While the previous album “Pater Noster” leaned heavily toward blackgaze and post-black metal, this release marks a sharp pivot. Here, elements of emo, grunge, shoegaze, and hardcore are woven together into a sound that sits firmly within alternative rock.

Among the album’s tracks, two stand out as particularly compelling for listeners drawn to darker shades of shoegaze.
#4 “Boku Wa Kanozyo No Yu-Rei Wo Mita” unfolds as a sorrow-laden shoegaze piece imbued with a wintry chill. The grief of losing a loved one is conveyed with quiet intensity, leaving an ache that lingers like frostbite beneath the skin. Fans of Whirr’s “Sway” may find this track especially resonant.

#5 “Ikite Ite Gomennasai” is arguably one of the darkest compositions in robounoishi’s body of work. Built around relentlessly self-punishing lines, the song suddenly erupts into a harrowing scream that collides with a fragile vocal melody, evoking a level of despair more commonly associated with depressive black metal. The scream appears to be a heavily processed Vocaloid voice—likely Hatsune Miku—an approach previously used in tracks such as “Shinen Ni Kokoro Arite,” though never with such visceral effect. The result demonstrates how, with careful manipulation, Vocaloid vocals can convey striking emotional depth. That said, the track’s overwhelming darkness suggests a degree of caution for listeners who are particularly sensitive to heavy emotional content.

Notably, just one month after this album’s release, robounoishi followed up with an eighth full-length, and on June 17 unveiled the first recording under his band configuration. This relentless pace speaks to a creative drive that is difficult not to admire. Revisiting the earlier releases for context only reinforces the consistency of quality across his discography.