Asobi Seksu - Citrus

We all know what originally sparked our interest in Asobi Seksu’s debut. Yes, they produced charmingly sinuous melodies with soothing experimental pop tendencies, but it was singer Yuki Chikudate’s angelic blend of English and Japanese vocals that truly entranced us and caused critics to embrace the New York shoegazers, empowering the band with the oh so fickle title of Next Big Thing. A few years later, here we find ourselves again with Asobi Seksu’s sophomore effort, ‘Citrus’, up for debate and carrying a load of our harboured expectations. It appears inevitable; this one’s going under the microscope.

With a newly acquired rhythm section, ‘Citrus’ is clearly grander in scale, each piece of the album is precisely architected and amplified to ironically create sounds that are perfectly whimsical and utterly carefree. Paired with Chikudate’s celestial voice, ‘Citrus’ appears inexplicably dreamlike with sound waves that seem to float in the air, if only weighed down by psychedelic guitar riffs that echo against imaginary walls.

The album begins with a fuzzy softness, with tracks like ‘Strawberries’ and ‘New Years’ which both capitalize on showcasing Chikudate’s vocals. However, while the first several songs are undeniably good, Asobi Seksu seem to find their stride on the second half of the album, developing textured tracks with definitive identities ranging from the unique twinkling lullaby ‘All Through The Day’ to the rowdy guitar of ‘Nefi-Girly’ that pleasantly shakes up the routine. Another notable standout, ‘Goodbye’ is sung completely in English and exhibits a poppier side to the band while retaining their trademark softness.

No matter what direction they go, Asobi Seksu seem to pull it off with style, mesmerizing listeners with a wide range of airy indie gems. ‘Citrus’ is no doubt an exceptional album; even under the pressure of our unforgiving scrutiny it holds up, deftly avoiding the sophomore slump.