Review: Daichi Mirua - Backwards

Daichi Mirua is one of Japan's biggest stars at the moment. His discography has bounced between many styles, but to me, he sounds best when he takes inspiration from the 80's. Mirua himself has talked about how much Michael Jackson's music influenced him, and that is a reason I think it makes a lot of sense actually.

Backwards plays out as a direct sequel to 2018's Be Myself, but changes enough to be an entirely different entry. The synthwave beat varies enough from the formula to feel fresh. The beat falls like a waterfall through the whole song, adding a great atmosphere.

The pre-chorus's whisper delivery is the first moment where I instantly looked up. This allows the beat to be highlighted, while Mirua shows his strong vocal skills.

The chorus is the heart of the song. In an era where beats and pronunciation is rushed, it is relieving that Mirua lets each phrase live a whole life before going to the next one. This stretched sound allows the hooks to develop much better, almost interruption-free. This allows the English lines to sound really good, and allows a non-Japanese speaker to get an idea of the concept without having to look at the lyrics.

Speaking of the lyrics, they are basically are another 'free myself' anthem-style concept. Mirua has actually been doing this before it was cool, so at least it does not feel trendy.

The bridge was, questionable, and a tad too shouty to enjoy. Thankfully, we soon are back to the anthemic chorus, driving us home.

Mirua has a style, he has success, and now his style is trendy, now he can rise to new heights.

Rating: 8.75/10

Image Source: The Bias List