album Rina Sawayama - 'Hold the Girl'

[sam.teas]

I don't know if she announced it, but

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According to Apple Music
Hurricanes \ 3:22 \ 14.09.2022 - Rina Sawayama & Adam Crisp

[Tyrion_LMG]

  On 9/6/2022 at 2:49 PM, sam.teas said:

I don't know if she announced it, but

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According to Apple Music
Hurricanes \ 3:22 \ 14.09.2022 - Rina Sawayama & Adam Crisp

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Isn’t it a solo song?

[sam.teas]

  On 9/6/2022 at 2:55 PM, Tyrion_LMG said:

Isn’t it a solo song?

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yes absolutely, I just shared the composers 

[Jagger]

Does anyone know if this site's version has the Japan bonus track? I can't find the track list and I don't speak Japanese lol. I want to make sure if I buy a cd from Japan it actually has Flavor of the Month on it lol

 

https://www.cdjapan.co.jp/product/POCS-24015

[Jagger]

ok I dragged Phantom before but I blasted it on my sound system in my truck and it actually hit me  

 

Hurricanes is really good as well. I'm glad she makes songs over 2 minutes with BRIDGES in this TiK ToK age 

 

HTG and Catch Me still aren't clicking, but that user's description is making me hype again 

[Delirious]

CMITA > Hold the Girl > Phantom >>> This Hell

[TrueBlood]

Hold the Girl > This Hell > Catch Me in the Air > Phantom

[KatyPrismSpirit]

  On 9/5/2022 at 9:25 PM, pavi said:

So! Finally some thoughts about this album Since songs started leaking, I don’t expect it to be long before more is out there.. if I could’ve find the cd at a random store, it must’ve happened in other places too. I'm placing everything in a spoiler, so read at your own risk! 

 

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First of all: this will be some more factual observations mixed with some of my opinions and thoughts, so make sure to take everything with a pinch of salt, cause it’s subjective after all. Second of all: I don’t know anything about music theory and English is my second language, so I’ll be using music terms loosely. Don’t pin me down on technicalities! If any of my descriptions seem vague I blame it on my lack of music knowledge Thirdly: this album has quite a lot of songs about trauma, and since I don’t know whether this trauma is ‘public knowledge` yet, I won’t be sharing too much of the lyrical content. I believe with these kind of subjects, it should be told on people’s own terms. Anyway, let’s start!

 

The first track, Minor Feelings, really serves as an introduction to the album. Her voice is very prominent in the foreground. The song’s production feels soft, but because of her slow, low, soft voice the song also feels grand in a way; it feels like it’s building towards a climax, but it never quite reaches that. It has some very nice, subtle robotic background vocals in the last part. The lyrics of the song already give an insight to why she wrote Hold The Girl and named the album after it. The track flows very nicely into that song, btw, with the sound of some sort of motorcycle driving away connecting the two songs. I found Hold The Girl quite cheesy when I heard it the first time, but knowing what it’s about because of the context of the album really made me appreciate it more. Directly after there are This Hell and Catch Me In The Air, which you know. I find it notable the former lyrically doesn’t really seem to connect to the first two ones and any of the other songs in this album.

 

The next song is Forgiveness, which starts out with a slow, light drum beat, some guitar, and some sort of piano. The verses are toned down and Rina sings with a soft voice about trauma. The chorus is a nice midtempo (?) singalong moment, with an i, i-i, i-i’m / looking for si, i-i, i-igns pattern. The chorus ends with an anticlimax the first time, to get a more explosive ending the second time around, with more guitars and a bit heavier drums coming in. Rina does some adlibs and does the bridge, with some soaring guitars. The production falls away at the end of the bridge, to come back in for the last chorus. The song ends with a cute, soft guitar bit and some church bells. The song is cute, but doesn't feel too special to me. It is very catchy, tho and if you relate to the lyrical content, I'm pretty sure it's great.

 

The song then flows directly into Holy (Till You Let Me Go). This is where the album really starts to pick up imo. This is the first song where Rina sings more explicitly about the trauma that’s the core to this album. During the first verse, a deep beat slowly enters the song. At the end of the first verse, it all falls away for a bit, to then all come in sweeping for (imo) the best chorus of the album yet. Central to the chorus is this deep beat, accompanied by some dark sounding, almost organ (?) like synths, which really fit the lyrical content of this song. This is the definition of dark pop imo. The structure of this song is so interesting. After the first verse there’s some weird marching drums/drum-‘n-bass-like noises, although it's short and they’re not in the foreground for long. For the second verse, a faster synthbeat/tick is added, building tension in the song. It now feels fast-paced. The second chorus is extended, which also makes it the climax of the song. She repeats the core of the lyrics a couple of times, with another i, i-i, i-i singalong moment. The song then ends small with some sounds of rain and church bells and the sound of people talking.

 

Your Age starts very different from the rest of the album with some sort of banjo-like sound. I’m really bad at recognizing instruments, so don’t pin me down. After like ten seconds, a hard beat comes in and Rina sings in a monotonous, repetitive way. The (pre-?)chorus is so different from the rest of the album. Rina is almost talking at this part of the song, sounding muffled and raw. The song radiates anger imo, but it’s not as heavy as STFU. The second chorus is a sudden explosion, tho, with Rina’s singing voice chopped up and becoming part of the instrumentation. A fast beat and some muffled singing (almost like Halsey sounds like on some IICHLIWP songs) are pushing the song towards an end. This song is definitely the hardest to describe. Pretty sure a lot of people who didn’t feel the singles of this album will definitely like this song.

 

Imagining is very different from the singles as well. It has a much lighter vibe during the verses than the previous song. Her voice is slightly autotuned and sounds higher. The beat in the background is kinda similar to the one in Hold The Girl, but it has some higher pitched sounds throughout. The chorus is an unexpected dark bangerrrr tho, which I’m sure you’ll all loooove. Holy - You Age - Imagining are a 1-2-3-punch, so to say. The track has some very nice swith-ups towards the end too, when a piano suddenly joins for a small amount of time, and her voice is looped to make for an explosive outro. The song would suit on a Charli XCX album imo and almost ends pc-music style with some heavy edited vocals and random electronic sounds. It's just a short bit, tho.

 

The 1-2-3-punch easily becomes a 1-2-3-4-punch with Frankenstein. A fast-paced banger with another Frankenstei, ei-ei, ei-ein singalong moment. The verses have this fast paced bass and some fast drums, while the chorus even adds a little extra with harder drums and some electric guitars in the background. She sings I don’t wanna be a monster, anymore repeatedly in the post-chorus. It ends with a very fast drum section. The vibe kinda reminds me of Halsey’s Easier than Lying, although Rina’s has a faster pace. Hurricanes is a somewhat ‘slower’ moment after all these bops, but since it has leaked by now, I won’t describe this one too much. The Kelly Clarkson comparison kinda fits. It has a lighter mood than the previous songs, even tho it's really guitar-heavy. The ending of this song is so good, really nice climax.

 

Send My Love To John is the real slower moment on this album. It starts with not much more than a guitar and Rina’s soft voice on the foreground. The guitar later gets some layering with other instruments, but the song remains small, even in the chorus. The only thing that gets added are some background voices/harmonies. It’s gorgeous imo. I think the lyrics are from her mother’s perspective, which makes it even more personal in some way. It made me wonder if more songs are actually from her mother’s perspective instead of hers, but since English isn’t my first language and I’m not that deeply invested in reviews/interviews, I’m gonna let you decide that when you get to listen to it. She does really bring the lyrical content to herself in the thank you notes, so it might just as well be just this song.

 

The album ends with Phantom and To Be Alive. You’ve heard the former and the tone of the album has really shifted by now. It has a more positive vibe, both lyrically and in sound. The last song of the album is Rina trying to end the album on a positive note, too. Flowers still look pretty when they’re dying, she sings in the opening line of the song. There’s the sound of some children in the background at the start, while some deep sounds form the base/canvas of this song. During the pre-chorus, another Hold The Girl-like drum-‘n-bass beat enters the song. Rina’s voice remains slower (yet powerful), making it a feel-good singalong anthem. I finally know what it feels like / To be alive, she belts. The song continues like that till the end.

 

Overall, I think it’s a strong album. Not close to SAWAYAMA, but still solid. It definitely exceeded my expectations, which were kinda lowered because of the singles. I didn’t hate them or anything, but I didn’t love them either. The context of the album really made me appreciate the title track a lot more. I don’t find the lyrics as cheesy anymore, too. She’s always been quite literal with some of her lyrics (Love Me 4 Me and Take Me As I Am are pretty on the nose too), but knowing the trauma this album is about, it actually makes that directness powerful imo. I just find it a shame she is very general in the singles and it only gets more specific on the album tracks. The middle part of the album is definitely the best part imo and just STELLAR and I’m sure RINA/SAWAYAMA fans that didn’t like the singles will find something to their liking over there. Hope I made you excited for the release without spoiling too much and without setting the expectations too high! 
 

 

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thank you so much for writing this!!! this definitely made me so excited to hear the album. thanks for sharing lots of insightful details but not spoiling too much about the trauma etc.

[KasioKas]

When is this releasing, OP shows Sept 2nd?

also is there another 'wHo's Gonna save u'?

 

Edit: after reading some reviews it turns out I might like this album after all...

Edited September 7, 2022 by KasioKas

[Rider]

  On 9/7/2022 at 9:18 AM, KasioKas said:

When is this releasing, OP shows Sept 2nd?

also is there another 'wHo's Gonna save u'?

 

Edit: after reading some reviews it turns out I might like this album after all...

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Oh sorry Imma have to edit the OP.

It's coming on the 16th

[BlackJesus]

Frankenstein and Hurricanes leaked

[sam.teas]

  On 9/7/2022 at 4:58 PM, BlackJesus said:

Frankenstein and Hurricanes leaked

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and Forgiveness

[kyliefever2002]

  On 9/7/2022 at 4:58 PM, BlackJesus said:

Frankenstein and Hurricanes leaked

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the way that took longer than i imagined

i thought the whole album would be online last friday 

[Slayn]

frankenstein is a bop, hurricanes is not. she's like 50/50 on this album. and she has the AUDACITY to call it "my best musical work."

[Troll Idle]

I hope the delay won't fire back and the whole album leaks 

[Ratchet ★]

All the leaks are great I actually had low expectations for forgiveness but it’s BEAUTIFUL and Frankenstein BANGS, that outro! I need the album already  

also she posted a story on her insta with 2 more 5 star reviews from DORK and DIY 

[Chromatica]

Just pressed play on Frankenstein and already slayed OMG

[東京.]

PUT ME TOGETHER ONE MORE TIME 

 

 

LOVE ME FOREVER, FITS ME RIGHT

 

 

I COULD BE YOUR FRANKENSTEIN

 

 

FRANKENSTEIN-EIN-EIN

 

 

 

[JDC]

I can't wait anymore for this album so I'm listening to Frankenstein and OMFG  RINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

THE VERSES 

I DON'T WANNA BE A MONSTER ANYMORE 

I DON'T WANNA BE A MONSTER 

 

THE FINAL CHORUS 

 

THE OUTROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 

[raven]

nothing about this era has really stuck for me but I have a feeling it'll all sound better within the context of the album

[BlackJesus]

  On 9/7/2022 at 5:31 PM, Troll Idle said:

I hope the delay won't fire back and the whole album leaks 

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It’s only 1 week away. If it leaks it leaks it won’t hurt 

[kyliefever2002]

imagining also l worded and she just teased holy 

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by kyliefever2002

[Terylee]

Imagining

[Azealia Banks]

Frankenstein is the best out of the 5 we've heard

[Chromatica]

Imagining and Frankenstein are my favs on the album so far