長谷川白紙 [Hakushi Hasegawa] - Mahōgakkō
A bit torn on this one.
I really wanted to like this newest Hakushi Hasegawa record because I've never heard anything from this artist before and most of the singles simultaneously blew me away and broke my brain chemistry, in a good way though. My problem with this record, despite the clever and chaotic nature of the production atop Hakushi's playful soft voice, is that sometimes these songs can get lost in their own ambition. There are many moments on the album where each idea is frenetic, loud, and unpredictable. If you know nothing about the artist, then the heavy as hell production might be a turn off for new incomers. Especially when the beats and samples add almost too much to the songs drowning out any core memorable melodies within them.
I'm not saying this happens on every track. There are some where the chaos works beautifully in tandem with some of the genre combinations, from vocal Jazz to retro-futuristic City Pop. The song "Mouth Flash" for example, when I first heard it as a single, the combinations of styles were uncharacteristic but not unwanted. Everything from the blistering blast beats, to the quirky synth leads lurking around the corners, to Hakushi's sweet falsetto makes this track feel like I'm watching an Anime opening while tripping on DMT. Or take "Boy's Texture," another single in the lead up. This one features more natural instrumentation and lends a more meditative space for the audience before sweeping us off our feet into a sea of experimentation. These tracks and more sparked my anticipation for the records, as this could've easily ended up as one of the best electronic-adjacent albums of the year, if every song is just as good as the singles.
Unfortunately, while I did think this was a decent overall offering of the potential that Hakushi packs into her music, I don't each track works on this record, especially considering that it's only 30 minutes and change, which doesn't leave room for filler, and half the album was already pre-released. I think there are plenty of fine moments hidden on this album, ones that hit you out of nowhere with unfiltered beauty or unfiltered pandemonium on all fronts. I also think, however, that there are a number of underdeveloped and overproduced moments that really bog down the runtime. "KYUFUNOHOSHI" feels like a slightly weaker version of what "Mouth Flash" accomplished so seamlessly, as the the production and vocals are being pitted against each other to see which element can remain supreme. I sort of get that feeling from "Gone," another teaser to the record that feels out of place sequentially, as the overwhelming one-two punch of that song along with the first track can be a real turnoff if I don't want to end up with a migraine. And then tracks like "Enbami" and "NENNEKOKOROMI" are to scant to leave an impression, no matter how much I try to give into these forward thinking production ideas my attention.
I respect where this project is coming from. Hakushi is clearly a talented prodigy in her own right, as I don't think I've heard production as chaotic as she does in 2024. But if every idea had breathing room to marinate, allowing some space in between each element, and finished ends that were previously underdone, then maybe this album could've had more staying power with me. Regardless of how I feel, Hakushi is thriving in her own lane and is definitely a production boundary pusher that more listeners should get to know. I just hope she can learn from this project to create something equally groundbreaking and memorable.
FAVORITES: Mouth Flash, Boy’s Texture, Departed, Forbidden Thing (Kimmotsu), The Blossom and the Thunder
LEAST FAVORITE: Enbami
6/10
