With a new band name, Dn-Lahmar Galaxy7, it was finally time for the four-piece to release a new album to introduce themselves again to their audience. Originally a solo project from musician Daisuke, Dn-Lahmar Galaxy7 toured over the world under the name Galaxy7. Under that same name, several albums got released, the latest in 2012.
After a hiatus of several years, where composer and vocalist Daisuke Tsutsui focused on other projects, the band returned under a new name and with a digital album in October 2020, the first album release in 8 years. The self-titled album, consisting of 13 tracks, was self-released via Daisuke’s label Bug Screaming. Supported by Tatsuya Takahashi on bass, keyboard player Yu Okamoto and Chihiro Higashi on drums, Daisuke Tsutsui is the centre of the electro-rock band as vocalist and guitarist.
It starts with the colourful album cover, where various colours of paint are mixed together. It strongly resembles the result of pouring acrylic paint on a canvas. The cover is a perfect harbinger of what to expect from this album.
In Daisuke’s interview with AVO Magazine, he stated that the album is created with his thoughts about ‘Humans’: “When I was a teenager, I spent painful days because of a certain thing that I could not tell anyone about. What I was doing back then was listening to music and kept looking up at the night sky to watch stars. For some reasons it calmed me down and I felt like those stars were pouring me their energy. In this world, there are so many people who’s lives have been very tough and painful. I created this album hoping that my music makes those people feel better just like the starry night sky did to me.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPqbKYq8IVc
The album with a full hour’s worth of music starts off pumping with electro-rock energy with the first track, titled million pieces of stars, but it should be mentioned that the album overall is bursting with power, especially the power that comes of from the voice of Daisuke Tsutsui and the instruments that come in like a wrecking ball. While the album seems to mostly embrace a nature theme, the album actually gives the feeling that you are being shot to the stars in the sky to embrace them from the first track.
After the hard-hitting song spiral lights, which certainly gets you in a tizzy, it’s time to float around on the music with the tracks that follow, which seem to take on a ballad style, white, let it go and ocean. It seems to be a deliberately chosen moment of rest for the album, just after the middle section of the release. A wise choice on the band’s part, as the album now comes across as less overwhelming and more digestible. Especially with the feelings that come across in the songs.
After that, Dn-Lahmar Galaxy7 seemed to have found a better counterbalance on the album, starting with a melancholic the people who walk on the star lights and the sing-along under the same sky. Still, the action is a bit off at the end of the album, which is in stark contrast to how the album started out. But maybe that’s not a bad thing at all, since the listener has been already bombarded with the massive presence of the instrumentals and now can focus more on Daisuke’s strong voice. The music that Dn-Lahmar Galaxy7 produce is very complimentary of the voice. An honourable mention goes out to the track prove, which has a more orchestral sound and should definitely be re-recorded as an extended with a large orchestra with on the background a projection of the night sky.
All in all, this album is a great starting point for those who are not yet familiar with the music of Dn-Lahmar Galaxy7. But it is also very suitable for those who are fans of the older work.
Dn-Lahmar Galaxy7 Tracklist:
1. million pieces of stars
2. born again
3. follow me
4. prove
5. land of the rising sun
6. spiral lights
7. white
8. let it go
9. ocean
10. the people who walk on the star lights
11. under the same sky
12. king of the world
13. seventh of july
The digital album is available for purchase through the webshop of Bug Screaming, but also available on the major streaming services, such as Spotify.
