alaska

sidearm memory - 8/10 : Bright, fresh and summery whilst maintaining the dreamy melancholic undertone that defines shihazu. The chorus is especially reminiscent of the band's previous work, reminding me of the similarly upbeat melody found in Blue Moon Night. Such similarities will be a recurring criticism, as certain tracks - in my eyes - lose a clear identity if it feels like they are largely defined by a variation of a tune found in a different song. However, this is a very minimal criticism - despite the repetition, I don't mind the familiarity shhhs evokes with their new songs: it's comforting to hear the tunes you love, even if adapted differently, and it carves out a distinct sound that sets the band apart within the indie genre. I also appreciate the beat throughout, with accompanying synths being a nice touch. This song to me feels very nostalgic -the melody is uplifting, yet slightly bittersweet as with most shhhs songs. I'm not sure if it counts as the title track, but for me this song evokes the same atmosphere as Kodai Kobayashi's beautiful photograph on the album cover, and defines the overall tone of the album.

sigh of relief - 7/10 : This song feels more retro with the incorporation of synthesisers, building on their introduction in the previous song - this creates a very chill atmosphere that personally I'm a fan of. Experimenting with synths even further is a direction I'd love to see shihazu try out, perhaps angling for a darker synthwave - even analog - sound. I appreciate the beautiful tune in the back alongside Takahashi's angelic (as always) vocals. However, as with Sidearm Memory, the main melody sounds very similar to another song - potentially Ignorant or Law of Attraction. This song for me, whilst being a joy to listen to, represents the possibility for further experimentation, especially with new retro wave synths.

brutalist - 10/10 : Gentle and beautiful. The beat running throughout is fantastic, especially when paired with calming, slow vocals, and the pause before the it comes back is perfection. Brutalist is one of the softer songs on the album, yet also one of the most catchy - calm but groovy. My personal favourite!

quantum Dawn - 9/10 : Begins low-key, with soft ambient tunes and vocals. I am a big fan of the gentle beat, it reminds me of the build-up of a runner's pace. Honestly, this song pleasantly surprised me! It has a calm atmosphere until the guitar (?) comes in full swing with a louder, more dramatic and intense feeling that feels very much like the guitar at the end of 'Youth' by the band Daughter, before it returns to its original gentle pace in the end. This track makes me feel the freedom of running away, and it would not be out of place in a coming-of-age film.

day tripper - beyond - 7/10 : With this rework comes clearer vocals and an intriguing guitar addition, adding a grungier atmosphere to the summery song. Layering vocals with a lower register at certain points sounded incredible too, and maintains the overall chill vibe of the original. Although I may rate reworked versions lower than new releases, hearing the evolution of a song and having it adapted in a new style is always really exciting. 

arrows - beyond - 9/10 : I’ll go ahead and admit my personal bias here, because the original Arrows is my favourite shihazu song. However, I don't think I'm mistaken in my high rating, as the band's new adaptation of Arrows only builds on what made the original my all-time favourite. The additional chiming melody in the background really uplifts an already colourful song, and the smooth instrumental accompanying the chorus is wonderful. In addition, the way the violins come through in a more clear and melancholic way than before really appeals to me, and it contributes to a gorgeous composition. I'm a big fan of the groovy lower bass, and if I'm not mistaken I also hear accompanying vocals in a higher register, which sound fantastic too. Overall, this song is like an even more harmonious, beautiful sibling to the original Arrows, and is in my eyes a truly successful rework.

ignorant - beyond - 5/10 : This was my least favourite track on the album, largely because it was not that different from the original, besides some texture being added. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the additional effects - I always like when the band experiments but the grating, discordant sound becomes jarring for such a chill song - like hearing construction work during summer.

fibril - 7/10 : Being the song that this album is named after, it surprises me that its both last on the tracklist, and an instrumental number. The breathy voice on this track is really soothing, and paired with the slow, repetitive beat and ambient instrumentals, it creates a chill and comforting atmosphere. I enjoyed this song, but I felt compelled to rate it less compared to the more complex songs on the album. I wonder if the title's definition is linked to the theme of this concept album?

overall thoughts: I can't comment on the lyrics for this album, as my level of Japanese is nowhere near advanced enough to analyse the poetic lyricism that shihazu is known for, but despite that I love the track titles. Shihazu never misses when it comes to crafting original, dreamy atmospheres from their song names to the album cover. This album's overall production value was fantastic and clearly demonstrates the evolution of the band's sound. Some tunes were - as mentioned several times - repetitive to an extent, and a considerable chunk of this album consisted of remakes. There were some techniques I wasn't a fan of, like the texture in Ignorant - Beyond, but others I adored - for example, the synths in sigh of relief. With small criticisms aside, I LOVED several songs on this album and on the whole, I feel that the experimentation across songs was worthwhile, as it is evident that the group's sound is only growing more refined. I would say that this album was at a comfortable median when looking at a spectrum of upbeat / melancholic compared to sounds defining previous releases, but I love the especially chill, ambient atmosphere of this concept album: a dreamy sound without getting lost in layers of shoegaze, creating the perfect balance of gentle, melancholy vocals with a groovy, chill beat.

listen to the album here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3Vh81JC3iRRG8UTOMkTT6P?si=-40F7RAKTzmmdwrbG-fVcQ