PUNK RECORDS is SpecialThanks’s 5th full-length album, released on 23rd October 2024. Being active since 2005, the band’s current line-up is made up of Misaki Anita (on vocals and guitar) and Takaaki Yoshida (on drums and chorus). Where it has been 4 years since their last album, they have released some E.P.s and singles in that time, the last 4 of which appear on the new album. But enough background, the wait is finally over so let us dive in.
Dawn… kicks off the album, a quick instrumental track to get the ears warmed up. Starting with some light strumming backed with a simple drum beat alongside some synth, it is effective in giving the sense of blasting off. Paying off with a strong punch of a punk riff, really sounding like the Western counterparts that have inspired them before. It then fizzles out as it fades into the first proper track New Future. This has a bit more of SpecialThanks’s flavour of pop-punk that is missing from the introduction, a bouncy rhythm driven by the vocal. Leading into track 3, Earth Defence Force maintains the energy, a more raw and faster track. More on the punk side than pop, as the guitars maintain a more intense riff and the vocals have more of an edge to it. Although it felt like this track should have followed Dawn… as the riff has a more similar energy.
OH! LOVE! MABOROSHI!, starts a chain of 3 of the singles already released, brings back more of the bouncy rhytmns, with the drums being more of the forefront of this track to bring a nice change. Directly after is Romance, a vocal-focused song that utilises a more offbeat rhythm to create a catchy hook. Feeling very reminiscent of classic 00s pop-punk, again nodding to their earlier influences. To end the chain of singles is Hey! Sunny! which sees SpecialThanks venture into more pop rock, delivering a more infectious catchy tune. The energy is toned down and the edges are more smoother to step away from the punk side of their sound. This feels the most like a single, giving plenty of singalong moments live for an audience to get behind.
As if lured into a false sense of security, 30s PUNKS then jumps up at you with intense punk rock. Fast and loud, with a spotlight on gang vocals, this is no doubt a song created to be played live as it would create a unity in the crowd in a different way to the track before. It’s short and sweet as it then slows back down with kirei. A more alternative track giving a melancholic vibe. Again shifting the focus onto Misaki’s vocals, they are uplifted by a supportive rhythm by the instruments, giving a kick in the bridge but otherwise maintaining the strong flow. SpecialThanks then do it again, surprising the listener with 96, beginning with angsty vocals but again supported by the instrumental that has a stronger flow. A step up from kirei as the riffs and drumming have more complexity as it turns it up a notch. Having more moments of building up and down, can’t help feeling like it would have followed 30s PUNKS better.
After is the most experimental track on the album, Ringling Go!, having a bit more of a rock ’n’ roll feel. SpecialThanks even dropped a more typical ska riff at one point, whilst also featuring the catchiest vocal hook over just the drums. There is overall a more silly tone with the odd bit of poor flute pulled off well with the vocals, being more immature whilst maintaining the fun. This personally makes it the stand-out track for me as it really showcases SpecialThanks pushing their sound. POWERFUL POWER is then a more solid high-energy pop-punk hit. Fast and fun bridge that builds back into the fun energetic chorus, as if to balance out being experimental, SpecialThanks just reel off a staple of their sound which they only solidify with Little Wonder that leans more into the pop rock nature of their sound. Don’t You See wraps up the album, with a faster short track ending on a more raw punky note. Would say it feels like an abrupt end, not really a finale, however, that could be just the sound of wanting more.
PUNK RECORDS tracklist
1. Dawn…
2. New future
3. 地球防衛軍 (Earth Defence Force)
4. OH! LOVE! 幻! (OH! LOVE! MABOROSHI!)
5. Romance
6. Hey! Sunny!
7. 30s PUNKS
8. kirei
9. 96 (Album version)
10. Ringling Go!
11. POWERFUL POWER
12. リトルワンダー (Little Wonder)
13. Don’t you see
Noone can really can’t accuse SpecialThanks of making every song feel the same. Every track has a strong identity and shows how they have pushed their spin on Western pop-punk in various different directions. It does feel like a few songs should have been swapped round on the track list as at times it doesn’t flow and can be abrupt. It might be what they intended but it doesn’t sit right when some tracks feel more connected yet aren’t next to each other. However that is a minor criticism, the mixing ensures the consistency in the sound to compensate for the different energies. Each instrument and the vocals have a solid space within the incredible sound. It is tight and effective, as the instrumentals showcase a range of skills and Misaki’s vocals are as strong as ever. There isn’t an overuse of effects, putting the performance at the forefront to feel almost live. Teasing the listener into what a gig will be like.
Overall, PUNK RECORDS by SpecialThanks is a solid album, the only potential weakness is it has a feel of a collection of songs rather than being an album. Yet, it allows for the band to showcase their diverse sound and experiment with every aspect of pop-punk. Having a strong raw live feel, it draws a listener in with the bouncy rhythms and catchy vocal hooks, then other tracks have a harder and faster punk feel to keep the energy going. It’s weird to think it is about 30 minutes in length because in a good way it just feels so much shorter as it is packed with hit after hit.
If you already loved SpecialThanks this album is definitely for you. It has a more Western pop-punk feel than it does J-Rock, yet brings some elements in to make it stand apart. Overall, an incredible release!
