When it comes to J-pop, I prefer to wait until music videos have been released before writing about the song. There’s an mv on the horizon for Fantastics’ Stop For Nothing, but it’s unclear when it will materialize. And, the song is too awesome to delay.

Teasers have become such a big part of modern pop music, and I try my best not to exhaust them before a full song is released. The expectations game can be dangerous, and my mind likes to extrapolate how a piece of music might sound, even if given only a few seconds’ tease. When the full track doesn’t immediately conform to my invented idea of it, that can be recipe for disaster.

Stop For Nothing’s first few seconds have been available for months now, and they’re still my favorite element in the track. That instrumental introduction is commanding. It’s one of the most exciting intros I’ve heard all year, and thankfully it’s repeated often. On first listen, I feared the rest of the song didn’t live up to this promise. But, I think this was simply the dreaded expectations game striking yet again.

Stop For Nothing is an excellent shot of rock-infused dance pop. You might even say it’s… “fantastic” (wink wink, nudge nudge). I love songs that bottle up optimism and let it loose over a bounding beat. Initially, I found the group’s light vocal tones to be at odds with the chugging instrumental, especially during the chorus. But, Stop For Nothing’s breezy hooks soon held me captive. The track is a cavalcade of bright melodies and resounding energy. And just when you think it can’t get any more buoyant, the bridge delivers a dramatic electric guitar solo to lend it even more intensity. It’s simple pop, with simple pop tricks — but damn if they aren’t effective every single time.