BACK-ON - Butterfly

BACK-ON, the rising band in the hip-hop/rock Japanese music world, released one of their second singles of the year, Butterfly, in tandem with flower. Considering this young band's desire to prove to the world that they can successfully take a song and mold it into the perfect shape, this single shows the true colors of what BACK-ON can create.

Beginning with the title track, Butterfly quickly shows that current fans are up for a surprise with the sudden use of techno with drums and a synthesized voice, which one can assume is KENJI03. The guitars then join in and even though the song has only just started, the listener is hooked by the catchiness of the song, and what makes it catchy is that it seems like a remix of a rock song making it quite danceable! TEEDA smoothly enters the track with his suave, slow rap session switching the song from rock to hop-hop before it becomes the rock remix again. What brings this track to its peak is the chorus where KENJI03's voice is continued with a slight synthesis sound. The song is not simply a listening experience; but the listener will feel the groove take over their entire body.

The second track, Spark, starts off with deep, low and pounding drums and the bass, performed by GORI, being the main highlights which make one think the track might be a bit dark compared to its predecessor. Once again, this song also contains a techno catchiness; with KENJI03's voice resounding the song transforms into a higher and happier pitch. Though, it doesn't take long before its brought back down to the low notes used at the beginning of the track. This is when TEEDA, once again, sings slowly with his smooth voice making the song sound sexy. The guitars and bass seem to play on the opposite end of each other; the bass taking the lead when the song is in its dark and low form and the guitars having their shining moment when the song turns bright again, giving it that extra spark.

The third and final track on the single is a remix of DRIVE, which was released last year in November on their mini-album, NEW WORLD. The song is similar to its original with, obviously, some slight differences. The drums are more profound in this version and there is a rise in tempo. Considering the addition of techno beats used in the first two tracks on the single, it's surprising that this remix doesn't actually sound like a remix. Nonetheless, it is a great way to end this new release.

Butterfly isn't anything like their previous releases; all the tracks on the single show a more experimental side of BACK-ON. All three songs not only show that this band's skills are improving with the experience they gain, but they can easily blend in techno beats and other additions to into their music. All of this makes this single not only very interesting but definitely a must have!