King & Prince’s last single Tsukiyomi released just after it was revealed that three of the five members would be leaving the group this spring. Now, the group is running on momentum until that fateful moment. Double a-side Life Goes On / We Are Young serves double duty as a dual OST offering and a musical farewell of sorts. Though there will likely be a new song or two on their upcoming greatest hits album (at least I hope so!), this is undoubtedly the final single we’ll be getting from this configuration of King & Prince.

Both songs feel more milquetoast than I would have hoped for, but unsurprisingly I’m drawn to the more upbeat of the two. It helps that Life Goes On serves as the ending theme to member Nagase Ren’s current drama Yugure ni, Te wo Tsunagu. This is easily my favorite drama of the season and an absolute delight to watch. That goes a long way toward infusing the song with personal bias. It’s a cheesy, upbeat pop stomper, but it reminds me of the drama and the goofy dance that goes along with the end credits. Sometimes, that’s enough.

It’s enough to forgive the fact that Life Goes On sounds like a commercial jingle. It’s enough to forgive the insipid whistling that opens the track. And, it’s enough to momentarily forget the group has made far more interesting music than this in the past. Instead, I’ve happily embraced this chipper joy bomb. I’m into its hand-clappy chorus and boisterous “oh!”s that punctuate the sing-song melody. It may not be high art, but I’ll take the unabashed jolt of optimism.

Grade: B