I featured Superstar on my J-pop round-up a few days ago, but I know only a sliver of readers regularly check that out and the song has since become a staple on my playlist so I thought I’d give it a longer write-up. PG are a co-ed, very young group from Avex that first hit my radar with their half-annoying/half-awesome debut track. Avex has a really great history with co-ed groups, but it’s easy for me to dismiss kid-centered music as too “Disney channel” for my tastes. However, Superstar has some great surprises to offer.
First off, we’re in the middle of summer and I am craving some hyper energetic dance pop. I mean, I’m always craving hyper energetic dance pop but that’s especially true this time of year. Superstar delivers on this wish, bounding forward like one of those big, dumb EDM hits of the early 2010s. Nothing here is rocket science, but it hits all the right marks. The members’ vocals are also charmingly earnest in a way that makes this style of song really soar.
Two thirds of the way through, Superstar collapses into a long, languid hip-hop interlude. I would normally hate this approach within such an otherwise high-energy track, but I’ll let it slide here because this interlude gives the producers a chance to set-up the mother of all instrumental builds into the final chorus. This moment is absolute euphoria and worth the price of admission alone. I just keep wanting to replay the song to get back to it. We’ll see how Superstar ages over the next month or so, but this could easily be my favorite J-pop track of the summer. It’s just so fun and joyous.
Hooks
9
Production
9
Longevity
9
Bias
9
RATING
9