New Especia: “No1 Sweeper”

Let’s take a moment to appreciate that, in 2014, there is a pop group built around the visual/sometimes sonic aesthetics of Internet micro-genre Vaporwave, and that everyone behind them nails it. Especia have been running with the Vaporwave tag for a while now…one of the biggest thrills of the past six months was seeing them live, and witnessing the group’s hypeman scream about “vaporwave idol music”…and new song “No1 Sweeper” highlights everything they do well with the style, while also bucking it. The video itself is pretty spot on, but let’s focus on the music. “No1 Sweeper” doesn’t sound like Vaporwave, at least most Vaporwave (like this), yet it exists on the same plane as the style – from the luxurious sax to the drippy synths, Schtein&Longer’s production is indebted to ’80s City Pop. Which is a common source for samples for Vaporwave artists (Tatsuro Yamashita, tagged under “Vaporwave” frequently!). Especia embrace the imagery of Vaporwave, but the music…as crystalline and sax-y as it it…is really just an updated version of ’80s J-pop, except done better than similar acts aiming for the City Pop vibe. Listen above.