Utsu-P — HAPPYPILLS (Review)
I’m going to speed through the background as much as I can, because I have a whole separate essay in the works about Utsu-P’s history. But for those of you that don’t know: Utsu-P is a lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, primarily known for working with the Vocaloid voice synthesis software. We shorten all that by referring to him as merely “a Vocaloid producer”; this title comes with a few more hats and implies less about style than a “producer” in the EDM sense. In a vibrant, thriving community, Utsu decided to set himself apart from the crowd in one simple way:
Metal.
His style has evolved so fast and so constantly that he’s hit the majority of metal subgenres by this point, but at the moment, he’s settled into a quasi-djent-y nu-core sound which, at the moment, is very in vogue.
That’s the artist background done. But Utsu’s last few albums have followed a pretty noticeable arc; one which bears some setup.
From 2008 to 2014, the pace of Utsu-P releases was at one album per year, released with Summer Comiket, and sometimes an EP of B-sides for the winter event. From 2015, things got a little weird. The 2015 album, “IDOLATRY”, was a collaboration with the singer Sekihan, and featured one original single and a collection of re-recordings of classic Utsu tracks. This wasn’t the first time they’d collaborated, but it was the first time that said collaboration was the major event for the year. I hated it at the time, but I was 17, what the hell did I know?
2016’s album was a remaster of 2012’s “TRAUMATIC” (aptly titled “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.”) It’s good. I enjoy it. It trades blows with the original’s grittier lo-fi vibe.
2017 would see the first all-original Utsu-P record in three years. “GALAPAGOS”, while having enough bangers to justify itself, failed to really hit the same way that his first handful of records did. By this point, I got to thinking that he was hitting a bit of a plateau. And clearly, I shared at least one brainwave with him.
In 2018, for the 10th anniversary of the start of his solo career, he released “GREATEST SHITS” (sic), a modest best-of album, and spent the next year talking up his next project, which would be 2019’s “RENAISSANCE”.
In a review which I now struggle to find, I made my appreciation for “RENAISSANCE” known. A short album with maybe one skip if I’m in a bad mood, “RENAISSANCE” lived up to its promise to turn Utsu’s sound on its head. And after its lead single, Hyper Reality Show, turned into a breakout hit worthy of airtime at Magical Mirai (think Warped Tour for Vocaloid nerds), the album turned Utsu-P from a niche Internet musician to an industry name.
Good for him!
So surely, the followup, due in 2020, would continue to set the Vocaloid scene alight!
…That was, as you might imagine, somewhat impeded by the COVID-19 pandemic.
2020 instead saw Utsu take a much-deserved sabbatical from his solo work, focusing instead on his band and idol group. (Busy guy.) But during that time, we got a steady stream of new singles for what would eventually become 2021’s “UNIQUE”; a longer, more refined record compared to “RENAISSANCE”’s unapologetically sharp edges.
And then for 2022… He went quiet again. One would suppose he just really appreciated the extra time to get “UNIQUE” just right. Sleeker, heavier, slammier, “UNIQUE” was a solid followup to a solid album.
But Utsu, if you know him, is not the type of guy to repeat himself. So where “UNIQUE” is an algorithmic improvement upon “RENAISSANCE”, there was only one thing Utsu could see fit to do for the album to commemorate his 15th anniversary:
Send it.
Overview
Which brings us, finally, to the topic at hand.
“HAPPYPILLS”, Utsu-P’s 2023 offering, takes the shape of a double-length album; his first since 2013’s “CD-R”. Unlike that release, this one is a true original product (where “CD-R” was a double-feature remaster of 2010’s “DIARRHEA” album and “DOLL” EP.) That’s not to say, though, that there’s no part of it that’s recycled, and we’ll get to that, but this album was produced over the last 2 years with the album in mind, for the most part.
Being that it comes on two discs, it makes more sense to me to look at “HAPPYPILLS” not as one whole original album, but as one all-original album, and one B-side collection, sold as a package deal. While this is the first time for the majority of these tracks that you’re able to buy and own them, many of the tracks on Disc 2 were parts of other projects, or collaborations, which were reworked and made more fitting for an original album.
It must be said; “HAPPYPILLS” is an absolute behemoth. While a few of the tracks are quite short (the mid-album interlude and wacky micro-song B.G.M. clocking in under a minute each and eponymous opening track Happy Pills lasting only 1:17,) that still leaves 18 full-length songs to digest.
So we’d better get to it. We’re burning daylight here.
Breakdown
Disc 1
Happy Pills + No Care of Life
Utsu has developed a formula for these records which has been in force since “RENAISSANCE”; a mood-setting opener which mainly serves as a buildup before the second track burns the venue to the ground.
Thus, we’ll be looking at these two together.
Happy Pills opens to an almost meditative drone, reminiscent almost of Tool or pre-cliff-dive Godsmack. Miku repeats the opener’s brief lyrics, a mantra on Utsu’s favourite lyrical topic — the ignorance of the public towards the sickness that it bears. You can take the man away from hardcore punk, but you can’t take the punk out of him.
This track is in English, which naturally means Miku’s Japanese phonology is slightly inexpert — but Utsu, instead of dressing it up, decides to lean into it; showing off hand-crafted intonation and pitch dynamics which will be a prominent theme throughout the record. But regardless, like “RENAISSANCE” before it, it doesn’t stand very tall on its own; it’s better served as a prelude. As such, I’m giving it zero weight.
(N/A)
After a few repeats, each gradually adding more chonk, the album really begins in earnest.
No Care of Life continues a streak of ball-blastingly intense first hits, started by The Beautiful Puke back in “RENAISSANCE” and bested thoroughly by Seppuku on “UNIQUE”. Having considered each over the last couple weeks, I think No Care of Life is my favourite. Of the three, it’s the most unapologetically punk-flavored, with even Miku’s melodic chorus line being delivered in a strained, desperate cry. Whereas Seppuku went max whack and never let up, becoming comical near the end, No Care of Life takes a break for an ambient bridge, buying the more time to build up again before the final breakdown just completely rips the wind from your chest.
That ending breakdown is one of my all-time favourites. It’s some Knocked Loose shit. Pulling that off with Vocaloid is, if it even needs saying, a hell of a feat.
(10)
And no sooner have you gotten your bearings back that the vibe changes entirely.
Ga (“Moth”)
Nu metal is back, baby.
Laden with pinch harmonics and synth bass, “Ga” is an above-par take on modern trap-influenced nu. I wasn’t huge on this single when it dropped, but the master on “HAPPYPILLS” really brings out its best. There’s an unidentified shrieking on its hook which is much clearer here. Overall, this version shoots a much-needed dose of manic energy into the track. The track trades off between barely-restrained mania, and completely UN-restrained chaos, creating a lead single that has, and no doubt will continue, to stick in people’s brains.
(8)
Vulgar
I’ll be honest. I had this one on loop in the weeks leading up to “HAPPYPILLS”. After a few of the singles set my expectations in weird places, Vulgar was far more up my alley. Further, it uses the shiny new AI-powered voice bank of the controversial (but, to my heart, beloved) Vocaloid idol Flower. Ci flower (sic) is the CeVIO AI incarnation, featuring similar tonality to the original, but a bit chestier, and the benefit of CeVIO’s incredible formant detail. At launch, she continued to stir controversy, with some accusing her voice bank of having a similar issue to V flower (sic(1)); she doesn’t sound “powerful” enough.
I think Utsu pretty handily laid that argument to bed here.
Utsu has been one of very few producers in the past capable of bringing out the best in Flower, with 2015’s EP “Teyaki” featuring her almost singlehandedly, and the “GALAPAGOS” single Living Ghost is Alive showing off how interesting she can sound when handled by a professional. So him and Ci flower go together like an egg salad sandwich and a can of Red Bull.
Vulgar’s main riff absolutely grooves, and its verse flexes Utsu’s affinity for bass (he is, after all, a bassist first.) With moments that dip almost into Russian hardbass territory, Vulgar keeps you guessing, and Flower’s pack-a-day-smoker-type timbre lends a fascinating texture to her delivery. Honestly, I wish she was out when “UNIQUE” was being worked on — she’d have been perfect for Not Photogenic.
(8)
Hidden Boss
Five tracks in, five completely different sounds. Hidden Boss brings to mind “ALGORITHM”-era riffing and classic Miku tuning. You could slip this one into a mainstream Vocaloid playlist and I don’t think most people would even notice — at least until the breakdown at the end, natch.
That’s kind of a double edged sword though. While Hidden Boss isn’t a boring track by any means, and still gets stuck in my head, it’s one of the less memorable of the singles. It’s fine, which for the streak we’re on, is… kind of a bad thing. Nothing wrong with it though. It sounds like it was written for Utsu’s band, OHAYOGOZAIMAS; a theory I think is logically sound, for reasons I’ll get to in a bit. We’ll press on for now.
(7+)
Bizarre Food
This was the first single for “HAPPYPILLS”, and the album evolved in scope and intensity so far from what it originally hinted at, that it almost feels out of place here.
That being said, it still slaps.
Featuring a solid dose of Utsu’s bounce riffs and ongoing love affair with trap hats, it serves as a great snapshot of the next wave of nu-metal. It’s like if Singles-era Spiritbox were trap-metal. SABA from Utsu’s band OHAYOGOZAIMAS makes a cameo to support Miku’s screams, and while I don’t love it as much as I used to, I will never complain about Utsu experimenting; it got us here, after all.
(8)
Friendshi_
Oh, my god, I love this track. This one’s a pit-opener. The riff here has vibes of… almost 80s speed metal. Like there’s a Motorhead vibe here. It’s not just me, right?
Rin’s tuning on this cut is out of pocket. She sounds caricatured almost beyond recognition. The vibe switches constantly between NWOBHM and hardcore punk. And somehow, on a track as flavorful as this, there’s still room for a bouncy hook and a couple diva moments for ol’ mate Rin. She doesn’t so much scream on this cut as she yells, thrash-metal-style. SABA returns to play a more active role, and he feels much more at home here amongst the hardcore vibes being stirred around. Rin’s nasally soprano would feel comical if not for his support; he roots the sound firmly in place and provides a solid foundation for Rin’s hollering.
If there’s anything wrong with this track, it’s that it’s just kind of… over. It feels like there should be at least 30 more seconds of wind-down, or at least some guitar feedback to draw the vibe out. At any rate, it’s here, and then it’s gone, and it’s great while it’s here.
Calling back to the point I mentioned on Hidden Boss, OHAYOGOZAIMAS actually previewed this track on their 2023 tour. It feels clear to me that this song, and maybe also Hidden Boss, were intended for the band, but didn’t end up on their 2022 EP for one reason or another. Given, however, that Bizarre Food did end up with a band version on that EP, there’s a chance it might show up in the future.
(9)
RRRRafflesia
This was the single which, at launch, left me a little confused.
And along with Ga, the context of the album makes it make way more sense.
Miku’s melodic delivery is whispery and sultry, almost seductive, backed up by a funky lead riff dipped in a tasteful amount of wah. It’s a strange vibe, equal parts 00s R&B and early 10s pop. By the time the chonk comes around on the hook, it’s a weird form of relief in itself. And then there’s just straight-up a rap verse.
Yeah, this is anti-idol at its finest.
Then… some rain… and then…
No. No way.
BLECH
I mean come on. That’s been buried in the YouTube compression this whole time?? I’m not sure how such an iconic core shout has gone this long without an appearance on an Utsu track, but it was so cool to hear.
Overall, I’ve come right the hell around on this track since it first dropped. It’s weird, wild and wonderful. I also wish it had a bit of a softer ending, but I don’t even care, man.
(10)
Love Me, Love Me, Love Me (Kikuo Cover)
Quite possibly the most surprising cut from the crossfade, Utsu dropped, with this album, a sopping, bloody, snarling take on Kikuo’s stone-cold classic.
I. Have dreamt. Of this style of take on Love Me. Utsu is not a huge covers guy, he’s done a couple back in his younger days and a couple partial covers for fun since then, but they’re fare for compilation albums and tributes, not something he’s ever taken too seriously; until today. Clearly.
Love Me rides the coattails of the last track’s Incredibly Weird energy, throat singing and drums give way to a trappy buildup. Delightfully playing with the vibe as he has seen fit to do so far, Utsu lets Miku’s first verse play out, only occasionally punctuating, before the pair regroup to slam out a huge chorus. If there is any moment of reverence on this disc, it’s right here. No smiles as Miku hits that high note as sharply as she ever has.
Following the post-chorus bouncing is further madness; Miku’s voice turned distorted and profane, the ritual intoned at the start making a return for the second verse along some very Kikuo-style toybox sounds. The chorus offers little relief from the tension, even as it comes back around for the finale, capped off by further chugging, more sample play and one last repeat of that haunting closing line.
I’m sure I could find something technically in its composition to complain about. I wasn’t even as into Kikuo as many of my peers when the original came out. None of that matters when I was sitting in my chair, reality had disappeared after the last half hour of insanity, and I felt my whole being turn into dust around the second chorus. I know what this song is about (don’t we all by this point?) but only this version has felt so much like my own experience. Like being tried and found lacking and being discarded. It’s an intense cut, and a high point on this disc.
(10)
Hello Builder
And one more genre for the mix before the first half of the album closes out. Hello Builder is the poppiest cut on the disc, having being produced for a major Vocaloid event (Digital Stars). But Utsu still takes it upon himself to go for the heaviest hardstyle breakdown he can manage. For an event theme, Hello Builder has none of the cheese you’d expect, owing fully to Utsu’s thorough disregard for your expectations, of course. He writes this irreverence into the song’s lyrics, which also serve, in my mind, to reflect on Utsu’s career thus far — full of experiments, made of love, not all bangers, but each addition to the pile serving to forge him into the artist he is today.
It’s a nice close-out to this half of the album. I just wish I could find more to say about it.
(8)
Interlude
There’s not a whole lot to say about this one. GUMI trades off a generic disclaimer with a generic English TTS program. That being said, it still feels haunting after all that’s happened. It’s… neat. But you’re not gonna come back for this one. It contributes to the experience of the album, though. But I can’t really weight it.
(NW)
It’s worth mentioning that on the physical copy of this album, this interlude is replaced with a reprise of “RENAISSANCE’”s Hyper Reality Show. However, since I don’t (yet) have a physical copy on hand, I’m unable to review it. This interlude does hint at its existence though, with a synth hit pulled from it, and the “lyrics” being a reflection of Hyper Reality Show’s lyrical themes. It’s a nice touch.
A Moment To Reflect
I had to take a break after this point. Not only because I literally pulled something in my neck and had to make sure it wasn’t serious (it wasn’t!) but because, with this half alone, “HAPPYPILLS” is an absolute monster of an album, emotionally and musically. I had to reflect on the fact that I was only halfway done, and thoroughly consider whether finishing that day was worth it. (Also, I had a light breakfast and it was lunchtime.)
Even now, reflecting on it, I thoroughly believe that “HAPPYPILLS” would have been a 10/10 album if it stopped here. Even with the weird interlude. Even excluding the two singles I enjoyed the most when they released, dislike and Collage. “HAPPYPILLS” didn’t just pulverize me, it then demanded I get back up and continue paying attention. It’s the musical equivalent of being jumped with a bucket of ice water. It’s confusing, cataclysmic, and yet deeply unserious, and it leaves you feeling more alert than anything you could’ve consumed instead.
So… why does it need this second half?
I mean, it probably doesn’t. At least two other reviews I’ve seen would have been kinder if it didn’t. But this is where I bring back all that setup I did before we embarked.
This album took 2 years to produce. It’s his second with a 2-year production cycle. He got a lot done in that time! He’s been touring, managing two separate musical groups, collaborating with Vtubers and writing tracks for huge arena-size events. There was SO much to trim down for this album.
So put yourself in his shoes. You have two whole albums worth of material here. You’ve got a few options. Either you can leave most of it on the cutting room floor, let their single versions stand for themselves. You can compile the leftovers into a “SHIBORIKASU”-style B-side collection, which you’ll then have to do promotion and distribution for, which despite the smaller scale, would still feel significant because you’ve run yourself ragged for the summer events already.
Or you can do what Utsu did; tidy ’em up, throw ’em on a second disc. Give the buyer a package deal on an insane first half, and a calmer but still significant second half.
I absolutely think Utsu made the right call here.
I’m going to skim a lot of this second half, though; just because there’s not much here that’s as significant as the first. We’re just gonna power through it.
Disc 2
ATARI FRONT PROGRAM -HAPPYPILLS ver-
ATARI FRONT PROGRAM was a single that was originally featured on “UNIQUE”. It’s a dark, industrial-flavored bop with vague Nine Inch Nails vibes. I liked it on “UNIQUE”, although I felt it was a little underbaked; so I’m definitely glad it got a touch-up here. Utsu slowed it down a little and gave it a touch more low-end to really drive home that industrial tone. It definitely hits as hard now as it should have to begin with.
(9)
B.G.M. -HAPPYPILLS ver-
bounce bounce boobu bounce
bow-bow-boobu-bounce dance
Y’know what?
It’s been forever since we’ve had a silly microsong on an Utsu record.
I rate it.
(8)
God Willing
Originally a collaboration with the Vtuber Alba Sera, who works for Sony Music Entertainment Japan’s VERSEn virtual idol company. I’m not a huge fan of Vtuber music, for similar reasons I’m not a fan of idol music in general, even anti-idol, which tends to feel like a packaging of sounds I’m familiar with, for people who aren’t me. That said, I didn’t mind Alba Sera’s version of God Willing; it just never made it into my rotation.
For the album version, Utsu kicked up the key a notch, and put CeVIO banks COKO and ROSE on double-duty, with COKO on the verses and ROSE taking up the chorus.
This is the best ROSE sounds on this album, in my opinion. We’ll get to her main features later, but I think she’s more in her element here, delivering an alt-rock chorus that feels right out of the 00s. It rules. This version actually gets stuck in my head the way I’m sure the original did for a lot of Vtuber fans earlier this year.
That being said, this is the first time on this record that I have technical issues. Utsu’s production has been absolutely stellar for the past five years, so this was a surprise to me. The dubstep pads in the first verse feel like they’re way too loud, and threaten to drown out COKO’s relaxed delivery. In general, the verses feel a little undercooked compared to the chorus. Which is a shame, because COKO has a great sound, and should have been on as high of a pedestal as her sister here. The breakdown also leaves a bit to be desired.
God Willing’s high points make up for its shortcomings, but it still slips. I’m marking this one down, but I’ll give it honors.
(6+)
Copyright B*tch
This single is one of my favourites. SEKAI slips right into her lyrical role as the satirical e-girl. We get yet another bounce riff, some tasteful hats in the chorus, a sick, jazzy, flexy bridge. This track just oozes swagger. There’s so much to love here, you barely even notice there’s no breakdown. I am a little sad it got relegated to Disc 2, but I do understand. It’s good, but it has a lot to live up to.
(7)
SUSHI-GO-ROUND
“‘Sushi conveyor’ is probably more correct, but SUSHI-GO-ROUND sounded cuter.” — Utsu-P (paraphrased)
One of two ROSE solos on the record, I… am not too into SUSHI-GO-ROUND. I felt like the singles were almost starting to fall apart at this point in the release cycle. Utsu experiments with some… vaguely hyperpop flavors? But the fingerstyle guitar from RRRRafflesia is back. I always felt like this track flew too close to the sun. I have no particular antipathy, and ROSE’s cool, heady tonality and a stronger second half and really neat breakdown almost make up for its quirks. I’d like to see this one revisited at some point. Maybe as an OHAYOGOZAIMAS track.
(5)
My Roar
NOW we’re talking.
This track was originally produced for Tokoyami Towa of Hololive JP. It never grabbed me on launch, for similar reasons as God Willing before. But My Roar has none of the issues I had with that. ROSE is, as in God Willing, much more in her element. The 00s vibes are strong with this one, too. A bit less chonk and this would be Gran Turismo material! A strong buildup and characteristically off-kilter breakdown make My Roar one of the best cuts off the second disc.
(8)
ORDER (HAL Cover)
The second of two covers on HAPPYPILLS, ORDER was originally an entry to the Spring 2022 Vocaloid Collection event by upcoming producer HAL. The original doesn’t seem to have done very well in the event, albeit well enough to make it onto the “Vocacolle Rookie Top Creators” compilation. Alongside it? This cover! I think it’s great that Utsu’s hyping up newcomers, and I hope HAL continues to develop his style. He’s got a ways to go on the technical side, but anybody willing to make pop rock in the 4th wave of Vocaloid has my respect.
Getting back on track, though.
Utsu took a more punk rock approach to his take on ORDER. The turntables, palm-muted overdrive tones and chord progression imbue this cut with a nostalgia after my own heart. Utsu also takes an opportunity on the soaring chorus to flex his tapping.
Halfway through, things take a turn for the heavy, with Miku doing a siiick slide into a fry-style scream. This breakdown is one of the best on the whole album for that alone. I was tired by this point, but I still had to take a moment to acknowledge that extremely slick move.
That being said I’m not sure what’s going on with the inhales here. The one before the breakdown makes sense, but in general she breathes really loudly on this track and it doesn’t seem to line up with anything. I also don’t know why the bridge ends so abruptly into the more ambient pre-chorus. These are little details, but again, these tracks have to live up to the insanity of the first disc. Overall though, ORDER manages to hold its own.
(7+)
HEY. STILL AWAKE? WE GOT THREE LEFT. WE’RE ALMOST DONE.
dislike
This was my top single going into this record, and it breaks my heart to see it so far out of the way like this. On the other hand, it does make sense.
dislike is a fairly by-the-books melodic metalcore track, with only flickers of the digital madness permeating the rest of the record. It’s also short and sweet at 2 minutes and 3 seconds. With what we’ve been put through, these next tracks feel like the first breather we’ve had in the last hour.
That being said, it’s hard to justify this track on this album. We’ve gone so far beyond anything one could reasonably expect and back again, and in comparison to everything else, dislike almost feels bland. COKO’s tuning and the soaring atmosphere of this track make it stand out for at least one good reason, though.
(6+)
Collage
Collage was another personal favourite of mine coming in, and I think that unlike dislike, Collage justifies itself better. While similarly by-the-books, it does feature a 5/4 time signature, something Utsu is not known for doing very often. There’s a cool riff on display, but it has to put up a fight against the sea of cool riffs we’ve just heard.
RIME’s melancholic delivery and the repeated cries of “Hallelujah”, which feel more like a plea than a prayer, keep this one in my head and on my rotation regardless.
I honestly feel like these last two singles stand way better on their own, rather than in comparison to the whole album. On their own, they’re 8s. In comparison, they’re… well,
(7+)
IAMAI
When the crossfade for “HAPPYPILLS” came out, it was accompanied with a tagline at the end of the video: “More than artificial intelligence; radical, exciting music.” Since Western fandom is notorious for attaching more meaning to simple statements than is appropriate, people took this to be a “based anti-AI moment” or whatever. AI art is a more complicated topic than people want to admit, even the parts that people think are clear-cut. And I know Utsu as being a lyricist obsessed with symbolism. To me, the odds of IAMAI being a commentary on AI in more than a superficial way was pretty damn low. (The version of GUMI who speaks the verses is GUMI VOICE A.I., for crying out loud.)
This track is the reason this review took so long. Utsu’s last few albums have been notable for their powerful bookends, both opener and closer. I really wanted to give this song a fair shake, and I felt like I couldn’t do it without a translation.
I’d like to give Townes, an acquaintance of mine, a shoutout for his tireless work getting this translation out. There’s a lot of work that had to go into this, and he was quite enthusiastic about getting it done.
So now that a translation exists, we move.
IAMAI is well-composed, thoughtfully arranged, and the tuning is well-thought-out and dynamic. But, more than that:
IAMAI is a spoken-word psychological sci-fi story.
In IAMAI, GUMI plays the role of an artificial intelligence assistant, a-la ChatGPT, who is tasked with searching the listener’s memories for material with which to write some lyrics they would resonate with. In doing so, she discovers an individual which we may have known at some point in our lives; one for whom we may have felt… a little concerned.
I won’t spoil the song, I think it really has to speak for itself. Utsu seized an opportunity to capitalize on a hot-button topic and create a piece which is thought-provoking and emotionally charged, in a way I’ve seen him attempt but never quite land. Spoken-word is rare in any genre, but when done well it can be very memorable, and IAMAI pulls it off handily.
In an album so thoroughly dedicated to overcoming expectations and being genuine, I can’t think of a better sign-off.
I do have one worry with IAMAI. Because it’s so specific to this moment in history, it might not hit quite as hard in the future. But that’s not such a bad thing. We’re here, now, and as of this publication, the literary device works wonders.
(9)
Final Scores
Disc 1
Happy Pills — No Weight
No Care of Life — 10
Ga — 8
Vulgar — 8
Hidden Boss — 7+
Bizarre Food — 8
Friendshi_ — 9
RRRRafflesia — 10
Love Me, Love Me, Love Me — 10
Hello Builder — 8
Interlude — No Weight
Assuming Hyper Reality Show isn’t significantly better or worse than its original incarnation, it would not affect the weight very much.
Overall — 9 (1 negatively-weighted track receiving honors.)
Disc 2
ATARI FRONT PROGRAM -HAPPYPILLS ver- — 9
B.G.M. -HAPPYPILLS ver- — 8
God Willing -HAPPYPILLS ver- — 6+
Copyright B*tch — 7
SUSHI-GO-ROUND — 5
My Roar — 8
ORDER — 7+
dislike — 6+
Collage — 7+
IAMAI — 9
Overall — 7.5 (4 negatively-weighted tracks received honors.)
FULL ALBUM SCORE: 8.5/10 (5 negatively-weighted tracks received honors.)
The Last Word
The end at last. We made it. As with my initial playthrough, I came off my review-listen feeling oversaturated. If there is any lesson to be learned from this album, it’s that you can absolutely have too much of a good thing. I found myself shocked that I gave my favourite singles from pre-release such low scores, but I only did so because they just don’t hold up to the rest of the album. I already made my case for why going the double-album route was the right call, but at the end of this review, I found myself in doubt. Still, I can’t come to any other conclusion.
Overall, I don’t think it makes sense to marathon this album unless you have much higher stamina than myself. I maintain that the first disc is the main event of this album, whereas the rest mostly serves as bonus content. There’s not a strictly-bad song on this whole record, but balancing an album of this depth is genuinely hard. The girth of this album is definitely its main weakness, and yet, with how much you get for the money, it’s hard to really call this a bad thing.
And honestly? Utsu has remained my favourite artist for the past 9 years because of his willingness to do absolutely crazy shit like this. “HAPPYPILLS” is more likely, however, to serve as feedstock for playlists, rather than an album you sit down with and listen all the way through, like “RENAISSANCE” or “UNIQUE”.
But, given that that’s how I tend to listen to music in my day-to-day anyways, I have no problem with that!
With “HAPPYPILLS”, Utsu-P completes a hat-trick of nearly perfect albums, with one whose main flaw is a technicality. We are currently witnessing Utsu-P in some of his best form and sharpest energy, and I’m grateful to bear witness to this monster of a man.
But, hey, Utsu… just make sure you’re sleeping alright, OK?
