Collaborations between Japanese and Korean acts have become more common, and as a fan of both music markets it’s fun to see the artists interact. ReawakeR is a big one, bringing together anime theme queen LiSA and Stray Kids’ ultra-popular Felix on the new OST for season two of Solo Leveling. Though the song has been available for awhile now, today sees the release of its music video.
Like TXT’s excellent Solo Leveling entry last year, ReawakeR is composed by prolific talent Hiroyuki Sawano. He’s long been one of my favorite J-pop producers, but it feels like he’s being stretched a bit thin lately. His sound is instantly recognizable and with so much music flooding the market that strength threatens to flip into a weakness. All of his songs are starting to sound the same.
True to form, ReawakeR bounds along the dramatic percussion Sawano prefers, giving it a very cinematic quality. This works well in the context of an anime and gives the track plenty of momentum. It’s especially effective when paired with Felix’s aggressive verse, replacing what might have otherwise been sluggish trap beats in a different arrangement. LiSA sounds incredible as always and her voice contrasts Felix’s deeper tone in an engaging way. But when it comes down to it, my ear will always be tuned toward melody and Sawano has much stronger melodies in his arsenal than the ones we find here.
Hooks
8
Production
9
Longevity
8
Bias
8
RATING
8.25