Fantastics’ Panorama Jet first emerged in February and I included it in my “New and Noteworthy J-Pop” round-up back then. But, there’s no way I’m not writing about the song in more detail now that it has an official music video! I love this group too much. Their music never fails to energize and inspire. It’s really a beacon of light in a sea of noisy, posturing boy group music.

As its title suggests, Panorama Jet is pure uplift – the kind of bounding EDM track we don’t hear often anymore. On first listen, the song’s offbeat chorus (so many extended vocal lines!) took a moment to connect. The melody wasn’t going where my ear expected it to. But, further listens have revealed the giddy nature of this hook. Underlined by brighter-than-bright synths, these melodies are pure candy floss.

Panorama Jet never lets up. Some of its strongest moments occur where other tracks would pull back. The pre-choruses offer a galvanizing build and the post-chorus rap is a rhythmic standout. Neither Sota nor Yusei are rappers, but I’d gladly take this segment over any of its peers released this year. Yes, you can have a rap breakdown while maintaining the momentum and pace of a song’s instrumental!

Momentum and pace. You see me complaining about these aspects too often on the blog. I’m a sucker for high-tempo pop music that doesn’t take itself too seriously (while taking its songwriting very seriously). Fantastics remain one of the world’s most consistent purveyors of this style. Thank goodness they exist!

Grade: A-