issue 7// vol 47 The Struts’ ‘Strange Days’ album rocks the world » Uncomfortable love and bold music choices for a modern-day audience Cover of ‘Strange Days' by The Struts Jonathan Pabico Senior Columnist wkweK KY Fe" touring with the Foo Fighters to performing at iconic music festivals like Lollapalooza, The Struts made a name for themselves as British rockers from Derby, England. Strange Days marks the band’s third studio album to be released, but it’s the first of their work to arrive to fans while in a pandemic. Despite the weird circumstances, the collection is upbeat enough for therapeutic resonance and provides relatable themes for youth. What makes the album a rollicking treat are the impressive vocals of lead singer Luke Spiller. With the song “Cool,” for instance, Spiller allows his charismatic personality to come out as he sporadically switches between his vocals to talking in a stylish drawl. He revels in the vibrant dynamics his voice shares with the song’s guitar solo. This synergy creates a unpredictable edge, perfect for any coming- of-age or road-trip film. Although it’s a topic we've all seen in music before, Strange Days’ central theme is about young love and the pain, heartbreak, insecurities, and unresolved anxieties that can follow from it. With their punk finesse, The Struts are unapologetic in exploring these social concerns that would normally be difficult to discuss with others. The track “I Hate How Much I Want You”—which, contrary to its title, is one of the catchiest tunes in the playlist— pulls you in through hard-hitting guitar arts // no. 9 melodies and drumbeats that balance with the vocals. This soundscape makes the collection enormously relatable for listeners by conveying the struggles we can have with passions of the heart. The piece uses its lyrics about jealousy and longing to foreground the complicated depths of our personal affections. What also gives the album so much appeal is its avant-garde elements. The track “Am I Talking to the Champagne (or Talking to You)” combines Spiller’s painful vocals with surprisingly jazzy flair through saxophone segments. The light hits on the drum, sleek guitar riffs, and sophisticated vibes from the backup singers meld jazz romanticism with engrossing rock tones. As for flaws, the arguably weakest track is perhaps “Wild Child” because of its techno distortions that clash with the energetic vocals and music compositions. The sound mixing during the later stages of the song is off kilter yet could’ve allowed the guitar to run free. Regardless of whatever minor problems it may have, The Struts’ Strange Days is not a bad listen for our current time of quarantines, social distancing, and lockdowns. The Struts’ new work provides emotional support that lends some welcoming comfort to fans and casual listeners. If you hunger for decent rock songs or you ve been feeling down lately and need some encouragement, then tune in to the band’s recent music. Their album may just be that very push you're seeking to get through a tough day. IZ*ONE's long awaited return to Japan > ‘Twelve’ album review Jerrison Oracion Senior Columnist wkweK KY efore the Produce 48 controversy happened, IZ*ONE released their third Japanese single “Vampire” which sounded good but was cheesy at certain points in the song. After they came back earlier in February with their first album BLOOM"IZ, they were originally going to Japan to perform in KCON Japan and release their first Japanese album but the coronavirus pandemic interfered. Because of that, the group had to delay the release of it and instead still worked in South Korea during the pandemic and released their recent mini-album Oneiric Diary. After a one-year wait, IZ*ONE finally released their first Japanese album, Twelve, named after the number of members in the group. An important thing to point out is that nearly all the group’s Japanese songs are written by the same person that produced AKB48 (where Sakura, Nako, and Hitomi are from) and the 46 groups: Yasushi Akimoto. The album has all of the group’s Japanese singles including my favourite Japanese single of the group “| Want to Say that I Like You” as well as two of the songs from the season finale of Produce 48, and new songs including Japanese versions of almost all of their Korean singles. Out of the new IZ*ONE songs, the main single in the album “Beware” has the Japanese members being heard more throughout the songs, especially for Nako (who is the lead member in the song), and Hitomi. The song has the structure of TWICE’s “TT”; the music video of “Beware” reminds me of the music videos of TWICE especially the music video of “Heart Shaker.’ In the music video of the song, Nako is waiting ina classroom with her suitcase which houses a miniature city and we see the members in various parts of the city as well the subway. Other than the Japanese version of their previous hit single “Secret Story of the Swan,” this is the first time in a long time that I have heard Sakura, Hitomi, and Nako singing in Japanese. Like in BLOOM“IZ, my favourite member in the group, Yujin, is also heard a lot throughout the album and still sounds great. Because Akimoto wrote most of the songs in the album, it has the Yasushi Akimoto touch where it sounds like J-Pop and it is pop-y. Akimoto’s use of “Wow” repeatedly is also heard in the songs and he also used it in the recent hit singles of the other groups that he produced including Nogizaka46’s “Route 246,” Keyakizaka46’s last single “Who's Gonna Ring the Bell?” and Hinatazaka46’s “Azato Kawaii.’ Another IZ*ONE song I enjoy is “Yummy Summer” which has a J-Pop and sunny sound with a bit of K-Pop beats. One of the songs in the album that I like “What Photo of IZ*ONE via allkpop.com Should I Do?” has a jazzy sound but turns electronic in the second half. Another song in the album that I like, “Shy boy,” sounds like a usual J-Pop song but also sounds like an electronic song produced by Kenshi Yonezu similar to the song that he did with Yojiro Noda “Placebo” in his recent album Stray Sheep. Twelve is an album that fans of the group in Japan, especially AKB48 fans including myself, were waiting to hear. While this might be their only Japanese album since the group might end next year they could still make another Japanese album.