Hana Shounen Baddies - Blue Bad Boy

Hana Shounen Baddies is a young visual kei band created by the former members of the promising group Billy. Their debut single, released in summer 2009, could help answer the question whether the change of image also brought a change to their music style.

The title song, Blue Bad Boy, isn’t very likeable at first. After one listen it even seems to be quite annoying, mainly because of ostensible inconsistency and the irritating chorus. Its undeniable values can only be appreciated after few more sessions, and then it turns out to be the most interesting track on this release. The song begins with a phrase "Blue Bad Boy” repeated several times, followed by a rather vigorous verse with clear drums playing. Baku sings in a slightly different way than during his Billy-era. The backing vocals for the chorus are sung slower and in a higher pitch, which creates a great effect. The guitar solo that starts directly after the second verse is definitely the best moment of whole track.

The second song, Blind Good Girl, reminds of more of the band's Billy-era works. It starts energetically, but then monotonous guitars and powerful drums beats take over. All of this is accompanied by rather monotonous vocals, but despite this, the track isn’t tedious at all. A vigorous chorus brings more life into this song, but its brightest point is the fragment between chorus and guitar solo. For a moment only the rhythm section can be heard, and then it's joined by vibrating, moaning guitars. Blind Good Girl is probably not as unique as its predecessor, but it’s really solid and worth listening to.

The single ends with a remix of a Billy’s song, Blossom. It’s a bit pallid in comparison to the previous tracks, mainly because of the flat, dispassionate vocals.

Blue Bad Boy clearly shows that the differences between Billy and Baddies aren’t only in name and clothing choice. The new band’s music is more complicated and punk. The songs on this single – especially in the most interesting and diverse Blue Bad Boy - clearly show the great potential of Baddies’ members. Their music won’t disappoint their old fans and will surely attracts a new ones. You should keep an eye on the Baddies' future works.