Everything I wrote about CUSTOM NOISE earlier in the week basically applies to Sorrys!, so read that to get a general idea of what these guys are up to. I’m not trying to be lazy as much as I’m making peace with the fact a lot of Japanese bands releasing noteworthy music in 2011 all generally follow the same jittery blueprint. Maybe it’s because The Dismemberment Plan reunited? Anyways, I could waste a lot of words telling you about Sorrys! when I could just say “see Africaemo, see Your Gold, My Pink or most accurately given the punctuation, NOKIES!”
Let’s focus on what makes Sorrys! unique then. Of all these twitchy outfits, they easily boast the worst technical singer – Sorrys!’ lead vocalist seems stuck in a screechy, higher register where the majority of his words come out like he’s perpetually being wedgied. That voice, though, ends up being highly distinctive and works within the messy tunes Sorrys! create, often more abrasive than anything NOKIES! or The Chef Cooks Me conjure up. They’ve blasted all the twee and replaced them with blippy beats and guitars out for blood, not cherryade. “ONE 2 People” and especially the crunching “Bet It” highlight this best.
Yet the group’s strongest point might be there ability to make a really good slow song to compliment all the aggression. “僕らが今日も探し逃がし…” finds the lead singer honing his voice in to a slower, pained delivery as his band mates give him plenty of space to air it all out. And when the vocals finally do come unchained all that room lets the anger drain out properly. It’s a stunning song, even more because it lasts seven minutes without ever feeling like a trudge from a band who can usually only last a few fast minutes. Sorrys! sound a lot like a handful of other young bands clogging up indie record stores in Japan, but they bring a fresh emotional take to it. Listen here.