New York City’s playful sex quartet, Asobi Seksu, are back and looking to make up for lost time. With a new rhythm section and the same Japanese slang-derived name, shoegazing magic can be still be found on Citrus, but on their follow up to their self-titled debut, Asobi Seksu occasionally opt for the more straightforward approach. Instead of every song being bathed in the washy magic shared by Slowdive, Lush, The Sundays, and My Bloody Valentine, some songs, like “Goodbye”, “Mizo Asobi”, and the pogotastic “New Years” are more reminiscent of Velocity Girl, Popguns, Primitives, Darling Buds, or even a female-fronted version of fellow Big Applers Longwave. Both of frontwoman Yuki Chikudate’s primary languages, Japanese and English, are lyrically represented, sometimes both in the same song. But, at its core, Asobi Seksu are a band fully exploring their influences and expanding upon them: guitars simultaneously drone and chime, drums rumble in the distance, while Chikudate’s gossamer-like vocals float over the top like an origami boat on a still pond. Partner-in-songwriting-crime James Hanna even gets to showcase his vocals skills on the runaway musical train that is “Pink Cloud Tracing Paper”. The production and songwriting skills have grown by leaps and bounds since their first record in 2004, but they’ve kept the shimmer and shine that made them so irresistible in the first place. As the sun gets warmer, let the summery delight that is the perfectly-named Citrus keep you company, bite after tasty bite, throughout the coming months.
Asobi Sesku
Friendly Fire Recordings
