It’s always a welcome site to see worlds collide, even if you could kinda see it coming. Aoi Yagawa is a member of maison book girl, one of the many idol outfits to splinter out of BiS (uhhh, the original one). They initially seemed just like every other group sprouting out from that “anti-idol” outfit’s shadow — trying really hard to be like BiS, and feeling totally forgettable. Unlike the rest though, that first judgement turned out to be completely wrong — maison book girl stand out from the rest — and that legacy looming over them — thanks to a unique sound palette they’ve made all their own. This year’s “Faithlessness” is top-five J-pop easily in 2017, a number conveying a similar darkness as BiS but boasting just an absurd hook.
Yagawa teamed up with Maltine Records for a new single, which came out tonight. Maltine’s interest in idol music is well established by now, and for “On The Line” Yagawa sings over a beat provided by Tomggg. In a nice change-up, the song finds both out of their elements slightly. Yagawa sings in a slightly less dramatic way than she does in maison book girl, given space to let her words rattles around and for syllables to take their time forming. Tomggg, meanwhile, moves a step away from playroom production (though, watch for those subtle chiming sounds) and comes closer to fizzy soda with an electronic arrangement practically dissolving. In a move bringing to mind a more immediate reimagining of Cornelius’ Mellow Waves, he also splashes in some acoustic guitar strums, adding a nice spring to the number. It’s a great combo, with surprising results. Get it here, or listen above.