Meat Dreams: Beef Fantasy’s “O.K.U.” Featuring Marina

There exist two Oku stations in Japan…one in Okayama prefecture, and one right before Ueno station in Tokyo. Given that Beef Fantasy hails from Saitama, it feels safe to say that “O.K.U” — and the sample opening up the song — comes from the capital. It appears to be a pretty boring station, which might explain why Beef Fantasy and singer Marina turned it into an acronym (“Oblivion Knows Universe”) and made the actual track a bouncy hip-hop-inspired song, complete with rap interludes. It’s an extremely playful song — Beef Fantasy throws in all sorts of nifty sounds to complete the summery skip, while Marina talks underneath the track and, at one point, breaks down laughing after trying to rap. It’s a charming little detail, but this isn’t pure goofing around. “O.K.U.” sounds focuses on being laid back, and even the little smudges on the edges seem deliberate (and this song features lyrical contributions from may.e, one of Japan’s finest going). Sorry titular station, but this one is a definite improvement on its namesake. Listen above.