CD Review: Niji no Conquistador – Koi Whiteout

With the long, cold winter evenings and coronavirus pandemic tightening its grip, the annual winter single by Niji No Conquistador (虹のコンキスタドール) has come at exactly the right time. A delicious slice of J-pop to lift the spirits Koi Whiteout (恋・ホワイトアウト) is an upbeat number that explodes with effervescence like a seasonal scene in a snow globe and will illuminate even the darkest winter nights.

Selected to represent the Fuyusupo!! WINTER SPORTS FESTA, Koi Whiteout is an instantaneous knockout. Lithe and fleet of foot it captivates immediately as the tinkling keys cascade like snowflakes and swirls around the listener. This is an uptempo number with an equally brisk backbeat that builds tension as the verses, with lines sung in rapid succession, hold back the chorus to an almost unbearable degree. Finally allowed to enter the chorus fractures into glistening shards of joy and renders Koi Whiteout an earworm of the highest order that’ll bounce around your cranium for several days. This single is undeniably Japanese but I’m nevertheless picking up a definite Eurobeat flavour in its Hi-NRG vibe and the two meld East and West making them easy bedfellows.

Continuing in a similar vein is the heavy funk of Luv Unbalance. Opening with some fine, frenetic bass-slapping ‘Luv Unbalance’ was produced with input from the legendary Murakawa Motonari (who wrote Babymetal’s Doki Doki Morning) and you can definitely hear his influence in the songs unbridled energy as it spirals upwards to an infinitesimal point. The thing I like most about Niji no Conquistador is their refusal to descend into geneticism and each song has its own unique feel and the bright and breezy bubblegum pop of Sakurairo Shower makes a fine counterpoint to Koi Whiteout. It’s more a gateway into spring and closes this three-track single in a highly energetic fashion.

Koi Whiteout is released via JPU and is available now.*

Koi Whiteout Tracklist:

1. Koi Whiteout
2. Luv Unbalance
3. Sakurairo Shower

*Link to JPU Records is an affiliate link, AVO Magazine gets a small commission per purchased release and buys new releases to review.