Modern Times: Utsuro Spark’s Static Electricity

Well now here’s a twist…a Local Visions’ release that actually reminds me more of today than yesterday (viewed through a really gnarly kaleidoscope). Utsuro Spark is a duo featuring a female vocalist and lyricist backed-up by a producer. This is the type of group becoming more and more common in Japanese electronic music, and Static Electricity is a nice addition to music coming from such projects in 2018. Nothing about the music itself is particularly retro either — opener “Neon” features plenty of synths, but it’s a twinkling number that doesn’t make specific reference to the past (save maybe for the title). The highlight, though, is “Seaside,” which lets its electronic bend around the edges, giving the whole song a dizzy feel while still holding on to a catchy melody. Get it here, or listen below.