THE NOVEMBERS - paraphilia

New mini album (EP) from The Novembers. The first time I heard The Novembers in 2007 I sort of wrote them off as merely another emoband (nothing wrong with emobands though), but they have evolved so much since then. Their shoegaze influences have been apparent before as well, but this time they've really accomplished a great sound. I particularly love the opening track "philia". The sound is light and lush, and it stands apart from all their previous songs. They still keep their characteristic screamo-ishness intact with the second track "dnim", but the arrangements are definitely more nuanced now.


As for the lyrics, vocalist Yusuke Kobayashi is still brutally honest. The contents are indeed emotional, but also dark and twisted, and the way he rips his heart open sure keeps your attention. Hearing "keep me keep me keep me" and "mer" for the first time I almost thought they were a bit over the top, especially the parts with high pitched vocals, but if you're in the right mood I think it works well.

I've been listening to this record almost non-stop since I bought it, and I think it's great. May 1st the band is doing a oneman show at Shibuya Quattro, and I'm excited to hear the new songs live.

tracklist:
1. philia
2. dnim
3. keep me keep me keep me
4. para
5. mer

THE NOVEMBERS - philia
THE NOVEMBERS - dnim