There have been few Japanese music groups I’ve been as hyped on in the last year than breakout hip-hop duo SUSHIBOYS. With a heavy net-label indebted sound, the trio-turned-duo have been tuning out hit after hit, each time refining their now-signature flow and production style over the course of the last couple of years. I’ve covered their tongue-in-cheek music several times in the past, each time giving them rave reviews for the mood they so perfectly manage to create; but we’re leading into the second half of 2019 at this point, and SUSHIBOYS have decided this was the perfect time to put out their most defining release to date in the form of their fourth EP “Bones”, otherwise known as “Shindara Kotsu” in Japan. So how does this culmination of new and previously released sounds fare? Let’s give it a listen below:
Heading into this EP, those who have been following the group’s activities should immediately have been familiar with the hype-inducing sounds of “DRUG”, “SANAGI”, and “Kozokudoro“; knowing that three-out-of-eight tracks on the EP were already bangers definitely sets the bar for everything else the group would have to offer. The album’s opening song, “Shindara Kotsu”, is the first unheard track on “Bones” and does an incredible job of setting the mood for what’s to come. It’s a song that glides over booming production values, never taking itself too seriously but consistently delivering just the right amount of quality that you can’t help but be with it. It’s also the first original off the EP that SUSHIBOYS have dropped a music video for, which is definitely worth checking out below:
The EP’s second track “BAND-AID” slows things down a little, proving to be one of the more downtempo, traditional hip-hop tracks on “Bones” alongside “Kozokudoro“. While I definitely would have liked to see this number towards the latter half of the EP rather than straight after the EP’s title song, it definitely delivers on just what you want to hear from SUSHIBOYS. From here it’s mostly familiar sounds all of which vibe in a similar fashion to the EP’s opening track, hitting in that same manner that can’t help but leave you dancing on the floor. The EP might not be the most familiar for the genre, but it’s an excellent if not familiar addition to the duo’s catalog that really delivers everything you’d want to hear from the duo and a little more than one might expect and it definitely leaves me excited for what’s to come.
While SUSHIBOYS’ latest “Bones” is anything but your traditional hip-hop EP, it goes above and beyond in creating its own sonic field within Japan’s emerging scene. Never afraid to try something new without entrenching on outright confusing alternatives, I’m beyond excited to see just how SUSHIBOYS looks to rattle our bones leading into 2020. Until then though, you can bet I’ll be having the entirety of “Bones” on repeat.