heidi. - Orange Drama

Following heidi.'s phenomenal success earlier this year with a well-received album, Innocence, and an appearance at the hide memorial summit, their latest single was destined to impress. Orange Dream was released in early November, hitting the top spot on the Oricon Indies chart two weeks after its release.

The single's eponymous track, Orange Dream, is an upbeat number typical of heidi., while still sounding fresh. The track opens with Nao's sharp guitar sound, merging to a pleasant melody with others, and is capped off with rich vocals from Yoshihiko. As the song is written both lyrically and musically by Nao, it is no surprise that the guitar is a focal point, drawing out the best qualities of the fellow members. In the last quarter of the track, a brief acoustic guitar bridge is introduced; it's followed by the final verse, climaxing at Yoshihiko's final note and taken on a gentle fall by the rest of heidi.

The B-side to the single, Flashback, presents itself well with a strong groove and catchy vocals. Kiri’s drumming squeezes the rhythm of the song together and weaves back and forth between impressive instrumentation. With solos from both Nao and Kousuke, Flashback would make a fine crowd-pleaser in any set list, and it is entirely accessible for fans unfamiliar with the band’s sound.

heidi. asserts their standards of musicianship on this single while also showing growth from their experiences with success in the first half of 2008. More material from this band will certainly be met with great anticipation.