Silly little album review of Nebula Romance: Part I by Perfume

I lied. There's no review. I don't know how to write those ¯\(°_o)/¯. This is more like a collection of my thoughts and opinions for me to look back at later and see if they have changed.

The first time I heard Perfume was going to release an anniversary album I was really exited because I thought they would visit their old sound from GAME, pre-GAME and Triangle eras. I really missed the artistic use of autotune like in Computer city, Polyrhythm, Dream Fighter etc etc... I know their sound was more cutesy back then and they would probably like to do more age appropriate concepts since they are in their thirties but there is a way to combine the earlier sound and maturity like in Electro world, GAME and Kiss and Music to name a few. Another dream I had was that the girls (women really) could use their real voices instead of the high pitched idol voices but I knew that was not going to happen.

Then I thought about the already released songs (Moon, Love Cloud, Sumikko Disco, The Light) and lost all my hope of the early sound returning (ノへ￣、). Then the album covers dropped and I knew I would not like this era at all <(＿　＿)>. I have become to slowly despise the newtro sound after it's popularity in ≈2019-2021 because it is starting to pour out my ears (I don't think that idiom works in English). I was still going to listen to the album and see if my assumptions were wrong. 

They really weren't 〒▽〒. The album was finnneeee... I guess...... not really anything else. I have had about four days to listen to the album several times and see if the songs grow on me after a few listens.

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Starting off The Light sounds autogenerated. And I know I'm not the only one that thinks so (according to fans on Reddit). I really don't want to discredit Yasutaka Nakatas hard work but they did use AI in the performance set of the song in their COD3 OF P3RFUM3 ZOZ5 tour... I was not expecting it to even be on the album since it is like a collaboration song with a mobile racing game???? I thought that was the reason Nakata didn't bother to make a better song X﹏X. The instrumental doesn't really have anything going on and the woah-oh-ohs feel really empty especially in the post-chorus. 

I don't know what it is in Love Cloud that doesn't really do it for me. The song is not bad it just doesn't have that something. But I was not expecting the saxophone which means Perfume can still surprise.

I don't really have anything else to say on Cosmic Treat other than it has the same problem as Love Cloud.

Starlight dreams at first listen gave me same vibes as Furikaeru to iru yo but at the same time it could be a Triangle b-side that I would always skip. Though I love what they do with their vocals (I don't know how to explain it o(*￣▽￣*)o) in the verses.

IMA IMA IMA sounds like a PLASMA reject but I really like the instrumental. It was the one song (out of the new songs) that I could remember after the first listen.

Sumikko Disco is definitely my favorite and the only song from the album that I added to my Spotify list. The instrumental is fun and the instrumental at the start of the verses scratches my brain in a funny way. Watching watching sumikko disuko has been playing in my head all day long. It's also another song that I thought would not be on the album.

Morning Cruising is another Triangle b-side in an alternative timeline that I would skip every time. It has this "8bit saxophone solo" before the final chorus that I did like.

I liked Time Capsule, especially the chorus and post-chorus and the instrumental in general. Nothing bad to say, it's a fine song.

Space-time flower was boring (。_。). It's a fitting song for a teaser (they did use it for one) but I wouldn't listen to it otherwise. I really thought it would be the ending song since it's the slowest tempo wise.

Moebius that I call morbius in my head is my second favorite from the album. It reminds me of the Sonic Mania soundtrack. I would really like to know if that was one of Nakatas inspirations. I don't know why but there is that little pause in the middle of the song after you think the chorus is going to start that really annoys me.

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Concept wise Nebula Romance is an unwanted love child between PLASMA and COSMIC EXPLORER. Song wise it loses to PLASMA but at least it's more cohesive than COSMIC EXPLORER. The 80s sound was definitely not something I would have expected from Perfume. I would not have minded an EP with IMA IMA IMA, Sumikko Disco, Time Capsule and Mobius but two whole albums???? 

That's about it for now. See you next month when part two gets released ヾ(￣▽￣).

Also the font on the Press Limited Edition makes me read it at NIebula IRomnnce