Cosmic Explorer, Perfume’s New Album
Perfume’s new album – Cosmic Explorer is finally out! This took more than two years to make, and personally, it does not disappoint! I liked all of the new songs, although the for the remixes, there were some songs where I preferred the original. I have been listening to the album on repeat for the past days and here are some of my thoughts for each of the song on the album.
Tracklist:
- Navigate – 1:19
- This intro conjures up images of a space ship getting ready for take off, with the sounds of the buttons on the ship panel building the anticipation for the whole album. This intro blends well into the 2nd track – Cosmic Explorer.
- Cosmic Explorer – 5:22
- You’ve finally taken off and you are at that point where the blue sky turns slowly turns into outer space. And then stars! Enter the melodic instrumental hook that’s so good. You already get an idea that the whole album was going to be filled with heavy beats and melodic hooks. You’re just crusing in space, exploring the cosmos. And then you see something spectacular, like a new born star, or comets – and the melodic instrumental hook enters again! I love this song.
- Miracle Worker – 3:39
- Miracle Worker is one of the songs that you can’t get out of your head after listening to it. That “Oooh oooh oohhh oooh oooh ohh” is so hard to forget, and so easy to sing. You still get a nice electronic music that makes you feel like you’re still cruising up there in space.
- Next Stage With You – 4:38
- This song sounds like a dance song from the 80s or early 90s, still some heavy electronic beats. And that line that says “next suteeji with you” and the “aah ahh aahh ahh” – genius.
- Story – 5:22
- I have to admit, this is my least favorite song in the album, only because it sounds like your usual rave music where it’s all beats and very few lines. Although I can imagine this is where all the cool visual effects would be when played in the concert.
- Flash (album version) – 4:35
- Chihaya Furu! I’ve been looking forward to the full version of this song since I saw the trailer of the movie. Apparently, this is also a remixed version, in the sense that it’s not the same Flash you hear from the movie. It’s a bit on the heavier side, with so many beats and drops. But I’m not complaining, I like this a lot!
- Sweet Refrain (album version) – 4:41
- This is a more heavy version of the original Sweet Refrain from almost 3 years ago.
- Baby Face – 4:00
- The first “light” song of the album. This song has a bit more singing and you can hear the girls’ voices more clearly as it is not overpowered by the music. This brings up an image of them chilling, and I think is a good teaser to Relax In The City which comes later in the album as it has a similar vibe.
- Tokimeki Lights (album version) – 4:23
- This song was the B-side to the Star Train single. This song doesn’t stand out that much to me and is probably the song I skip most of the time (after Story). I just probably need to listen to it more.
- Star Train (album version) – 4:42
- I love this song! I loved it when it first came out showing the events of the 3rd Perfume World Tour. It is close to my heart since I flew to Singapore to watch the concert!
- Relax in the City – 4:15
- One of my favorite Perfume songs, just because it’s not the usual Perfume song. This is a very chill song that I like to listen to on a warm afternoon with a glass of iced tea or something. I’m glad they used the original mix for the album!
- Pick Me Up – 3:51
- This is perfect partner of Relax in the City, they did come out together in one single. I’ve always thought this song required more singing, with the high notes – but Nocchi did a great job!
- Cling Cling (album version) – 3:53
- I love Cling Cling, but I didn’t like this version. It lost its original “oriental” appeal because of the heavy beats, but I guess it was done to make the whole album more cohesive. Still, I prefer the old Cling Cling.
- Hold Your Hand – 3:36
- Hey baby, I wanna hold your hand. I also love this song and its message. For me, it’s the perfect way to end the album, like a thank you song to the fans, and telling them to keep holding their hands and support them as they release more music in the future.
I’m not a professional music critic – these are just opinions of a normal fan. I have yet to research the actual meanings of the songs’ lyrics (when I have time), but this is the overall impression that the album had on me. I liked the album, and would buy a physical one when I get the chance (support the artist!).
I also hope that they’d bring the Cosmic Explorer concert outside Japan, or that I’d get a chance to watch in Japan – whichever is more feasible. I’m also excited for even more new music and more albums from Perfume! They are the best!!!