Pa’s Lam System recently released their first major-label release, Whatever, and it’s a varied set of body movers. That’s something the outfit remains near flawless at — their high-energy numbers are designed to get people jumping around (sometimes on to other people as I’ve seen / felt at their shows), and the tracks here should do just that. They are roughly divided between roughneck cuts featuring big bass freakouts (“Space Coaster,” “3D Rex”) and zippier numbers that are on the pop side (“Don’t Give Up On My Love” featuring singer Mukai Taichi) and established bangers (their masterpiece “I’m Coming“). Somewhere between the two is “Fireworks,” a blood-pumping number featuring an assist from Sapporo-born producer Parkgolf. Part of its charm lies in a tempo that doesn’t immediately start breakneck, but rather wading in fizzy R&B territory, complete with pitched-up voices. It’s one of the sweetest stretches either artist has either put down, and it makes the big frantic passage in the middle all the better, loaded up with shouts and cascading electronic voices. If the bulk of Whatever is pure energy, “Fireworks” shows all involved can also slow things down ever so slightly without losing too much. Listen above.
