New Especia: “Our Sp!ce”

Not content with one of the best J-Pop tracks of the year, Kansai idol unit Especia have another new single out before the calendar turns over. “Our Sp!ce” is released in cahoots with the music retailer HMV, yet the group don’t settle for anything here. Production unit Schtein&Longer keep Especia honest, crafting a whirling song that never settles down for a second, the only individual sounds that stand out being the beat and the occasional gun-cocking-and-shot (?) sounds. It’s a fascinating mess of styles, with elements taken from the ever-trendy trap scene but warped in such a way to sound as peppy as possible. The members of Especia alternate between slow-mo singing and skippier delivery in accordance with the beat. “Our Sp!ce” features slightly more conventional idol-like singing, yet the production makes this stand out all its own. Listen above.