Originally released way back in November 2019 by Damnably Records Hazy Sour Cherry’s debut album Tour De Tokyo is reissued on lovely coloured vinyl there’s never been a better time to bask in Hazy Sour Cherry’s sweet sound.
Lo-fi and with just the right amount of echo I Need Your Heart is the joyful opener and it shimmers with shades of Sonic Youth and the Velvet Underground. Slightly distorted but liberally soaked in melody it’s an uplifting number that sweeps you up within its sparkling effervescence as a contagious guitar line coupled with surgery harmonies render it an earworm of the finest order. Full of angularity Little Run continues in a similar vein and with a satisfying surf twang on Jun Tilbrook’s guitar it’s sure to appeal to fans of labelmates, Say Sue Me.
Capturing the feel of rain-soaked, neon-lit streets Forever is a walk through a lonely metropolis before The Singer Not The Song turns the lights on brightly with its golden hues. Field recordings and a cascading guitar form the albums brief centrepiece, Hazy @ Monjya, before we reach the bright and breezy My Life Without Me which has a distinctly ‘60s garage/beat feel. The thing I’m liking most about Hazy Sour Cherry is their originality: while you can hear echoes of their influences it’s pleasantly hard to draw comparisons with any other group.
I’m loathed to call Hazy Sour Cherry bubblegum pop yet there’s an undeniable song sensibility underpinning proceedings: like the Ramones, it’s raw and discordant but there’s an inherent groove present that makes it strangely danceable as the last three tracks testify. Like A Radio and Super Car have a Beach Boys Shut Down vibe while album closer Tour De Tokyo meets somewhere in between The Sundays and The Muncie Girls.
11 tracks in 25 minutes should tell you all you need to know. The lyrics, sung by Tsuzumi in broken English, are twee, the rhythm section (drummer Karin and bassist Poppo Professor) are a pair of beach bums and the guitarist is sublime. Lean, and with all the excess fat trimmed, we’re left with a bunch of shimmering tunes that fracture like sunlight on gentle water. Sweet.
Tracklist Tour De Tokyo:
1. I Need Your Heart
2. Little Run
3. かみさまおねがい
4. Forever
5. The Singer Not the Song
6. Hazy @ Monjya
7. My Life Without Me
8. みっどないと みっともないと!
9. Like a Radio
10. Super Car
11. Tour De Tokyo
