Song Review: Sexy Zone – Purple Rain

When considering consistency, few groups in recent memory come close to Sexy Zone. They’ve been in a dominant imperial phase for a few years now, harnessing a number of unique sounds and melodies over their numerous releases without ever missing a beat. Last year saw the excellent one two punch of Forever Gold and Trust Me Trust You and new single Purple Rain continues the buoyant retro flair of the former in utterly majestic style.

There’s just something about Sexy Zone and synth pop that just goes so well together. They manage to blend old and new in expert fashion, hopping on the globally oversaturated retro trend but infusing just enough modern melodic twists and production quirks to give each new single a sense of life. Such is the case with Purple Rain, which resounds with a palpable sense of joy that just washes over you. The chorus is the perfect example of this, bursting forward on a propulsive production and instantly addictive melody that instantly conjures images of an 80’s Flashdance with the girl of your dreams sprinkled with slightest hints of melancholy. It’s an utter revelation, a breathe of fresh air in 2023’s rather mundane global music landscape. The verses aren’t any slouch either, matching the energy of the chorus whilst still providing exciting detours that feel revelatory but never too far stretched from the tracks building blocks. The pre-chorus especially is wonderfully dynamic in construction and execution.

If anything, I’m a little disappointed with the overall production of the track. The verses and chorus are all near flawless in both construction and execution and don’t get me wrong, the choice of synth textures basically make the song but as with a number of J-pop songs, the mixing and vocal effects leave something to be desired. I’m sure I’ll get used to them with time but the vocals here just seem a little too compressed for comfort. It takes away the kind of raw personality that made so many of their past tracks (especially Run) such instant hits. Sexy Zone’s impressively distinct vocal blend prevents this from being too much of an issue but boy could a few tweaks have really sent this track onto a whole new plane. However, that’s just one little niggle for an otherwise triumphant effort from the group, one that easily stands as one of the strongest and most majestic of the year.

Verses: 10

Chorus: 10

Production: 8

Performance: 9

Final Rating:  9.25 / 10