New Pops: Shiggy Jr.’s “Saturday Night To Sunday Morning”

The back half of 2013 has proven to be a fruitful time to be a fan of J-Pop willing to try out new sounds. DempaGumi.inc has made a theatrical leap forward, while outfits like Especia and Lyrical School have been gifted absolutely killer songs courtesy of gifted young producers given the keys to the idol-pop groups’ sounds. Those last two are especially relevant when talking about Shiggy Jr., a young Tokyo band that might not classify as idol-pop, but is going down a very similar path as those groups. In particular, Shiggy Jr. seems intrigued by City Pop sounds on the song “Saturday Night To Sunday Morning” from debut mini-album Shiggy Jr. Is Not A Child. A City Pop revival isn’t anything new…producers and pop stars have been dive-bombing music that sounds ripped right out of a 1980s hotel lobby for a few years now…but like Especia and Lyrical School, Shiggy Jr. aren’t gunning for a nostalgia love fest. “Saturday Night” takes the smoothness of City Pop and constructs a really catchy pop-rock tune out of it. Listen to those bass slaps, and even that guitar solo…or that fucking organ solo. Then comes the undeniable chorus, in which Shiggy Jr.’s lead vocalist’s voice jumps up a note, capturing the thrills a weekend all-nighter promises. Listen below.