ADAMS - SEXPLOSION

Right from the start, ADAMS leave no doubt about staying true to their claim: Original. Revolutionary. Timeless. This time, too, even completely reinventing themselves with SEXPLOSION. The new album will be pre-released exclusively for the start of their same-titled third European tour, kicking off on February 20th in Helsinki, Finland.

Producer and guitarist Shota, responsible for writing all the music, used the summer of 2014 to get new musical inspiration from the hot and vibrant Europe. As he announced in our interview, the sound of ADAMS would experience a huge change to an electronic direction with the next release. That said, the band embarks to a whole new journey together with their EVES.

Though the previous album SIXNINE was very rock-heavy, the first track of SEXPLOSION, LOVE ME, starts with a downright explosion, making it abundantly clear that the duo left their J-rock/J-pop image behind. The song is dominated by dark and very danceable electronic sound layers, while Adam's quite high singing voice demands a "Love me!" over and over again. Only two and a half minutes long, this first strong track is over way too soon, especially considering the fact that LOVE ME has what it takes to become one of the favorite songs on this album. Conveying the vibe of a hot night in a European club, dancing until morning light while the two protagonists come closer and closer, you would most definitely like to enjoy this song for a lot longer.

During the next tune, WHY, which starts with Adam's distorted voice and a gradually growing electronic frame, Shota supports his vocal with some rap parts, awakening memories of songs like Like A Dance, or in a few spots, Bittersweet. Adam comes back during the chorus, taking over the majority of the vocal parts as usual. However, Shota manages to reclaim a big part of attention again and again. Although the lyrics are–like many of ADAMS lyrics so far–about lost love, the quite cool, almost monotonous electronic frame fails to convey these feelings as intense as songs like Boku no Sei or Akisame did in the past.

Baddest Crown mixes many different elements to create a powerful whole. The intro is calm, almost delicate, but only seconds later, ADAMS make it clear that this song will combine most of the components defining their current style: While Shota's guitar is electronically distorted most of the time, Adam's diverse voice contrasts beautifully with this. Clear vocal lines battle with short raps, sometimes seeming as if Adam's voice merges into the whole arrangement, making it sound like another musical instrument. Constant changes of style and pace keep the listener busy, making this track a promising choice for lives to rock the fans.

The fourth song, HERO -Dear Eves my precious broken piece-, is one of the two upbeat songs of this album, marking a bridge between ADAMS' former and new style. This track appears very melodious, rockish and catchy. EVES will surely love it and cannot wait to hear it live. The bridge and chorus can be easily remembered, calling fans to sing along.

blind strikes a calmer tone in the beginning (even using an acoustic guitar for the first few seconds), even though there is no real ballad on SEXPLOSION. The electronic elements are massively reduced, being pushed to the background, the arrangement rather rockish. The guitar theme running like a golden thread through the whole song is ever-present and elaborate, while Adam's emotionally charged voice sings about–what else–love. Perhaps not after the first listen, but on a second time, blind will entrench itself in your head and never leave. It is most definitely a song to enjoy with eyes closed, just taking it in with all its depth.

Geemu setto (Game Set) carries on the musical line of blind, focusing on undistorted guitars and clean melodies, almost not disrupted by synthesizers. As a whole, it is the song that reminds listeners the most about previous works of the band, such as Stand Up. Even though ADAMS have never passed on electronic components, it carries a special weight on SEXPLOSION because they are so intensively playing around with synths and distorted elements on this one.

After the tracks that resemble former songs the most, the band opens a whole new chapter with Darling. 70's synth-pop meets modern pop arrangements and R'n'B elements. This song hits the listener in an absolutely unexpected manner and is strikingly different from everything ADAMS have done so far. Quality-wise, ADAMS especially show how high-grade and on-point they can push their music to be. With this seventh track, it becomes crystal clear how broad the range of this band actually is. You will even find yourself thinking what ADAMS might not be able to do music-wise–and where the next musical journey may lead.

S.E.X instead delivers exactly what the title promises. Where the previous album SIXNINE had an intro, SEXPLOSION has been furnished with an interlude, leading back to the previous dark electronic realms after the stylistically outstanding Darling. Doing this, the arrangements are noticeably more consistent and timed more precisely compared to the said intro.

And with Wolf again one of the best songs on this album begins. An amazingly powerful electronic track that plays marvelously with synthesizer tunes, Shota's guitar and Adam's dominant voice sometimes blend with them, sometimes giving every element enough room to shine alone. Fans of the band surely will not be able to wait to hear this song live during ADAMS' tour through Europe, which will already be the third one.

Traditionally, the band closes their albums with an upbeat tune: On their first album Neo Sexual it was Stand Up, for the follow-up SIXNINE they chose YOAKEMAE, for which, just as a footnote, the band recently released a new PV. SEXPLOSION is no exception to this. On this album, this role falls to Fly through the sky, for which guitarist Shota joins vocals with Adam again for some rap parts and a second voice during choruses. In fact, this song evokes the image of being able to fly through a wide blue sky and feeling the air beneath your wings. It is a worthy conclusion to this album, leaving a cozy feeling within the listener.

It is actually hard to summarize this album. ADAMS explore new avenues and burn their bridges behind them. Still, they do not forget their roots and slip them in between their new sound every now and then. The constant mix of styles makes this album interesting, producer Shota working all the experiences he gathered during his summer stay in Europe into ADAMS' new style. However, not all songs on SEXPLOSION appear equally strong. Undoubtedly, it is a difficult job to convey multi-layered melancholic feelings with a pure electronic arrangement and danceable beat. They cannot always combine ADAMS' concept of universal love with their current musical style, but often enough they make the miracle happen. Most certainly, the band showed their musical versatility and expertise in most different styles. It is safe to say this album can be seen as a promise for the future, where we can still expect a lot from this duo. It definitely never gets boring with ADAMS. But for now, it is time to present their new songs to their European fans on the upcoming SEXPLOSION tour across 30 different stages in more than thirteen different countries.