Mixed-gender group Genic have been one of my favorite J-pop acts for the past few years, and last year’s N_G album only cemented that. Unfortunately, since then I haven’t connected with any of their singles in the same way, making me worried for their upcoming album If. However, the splashy It’s Showtime gets us right back on track with a sound that compliments the group’s considerable talents.
Two of the biggest reasons I became a Genic fan were their uniformly excellent vocal talent and their ability to compose great pop songs. The members haven’t been composing their most recent material (sticking with lyric-writing instead), which probably explains why it hasn’t sat with me in the same way. It’s Showtime continues this approach. However, this time they’ve handed the reigns over to the incredible Takuya Watanabe, known on my playlist for writing epics like Sexy Zone’s Run, M!LK’s Winding Road and Bullet Train’s Yell. He has a gift for anthemic melody and that quality takes a funky turn for It’s Showtime.
This song lets Genic sing passionately over a rhythmically bright and engaging track. In other words, it lets them do what they do best. The chorus is incredibly sticky, delivering a flashy hook over a bounding instrumental. And at nearly four minutes in length, the song makes way for an extended dance break and a fully fleshed-out structure. This is something J-pop has always done so well: delivering an entire musical buffet regardless of what outside musical trends may dictate. This results in music that feels classic and enduring. It’s Showtime will likely sound as great five years from now as it does today.
| Hooks | 9 |
| Production | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 9 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
ohhhh jpop is so back
i’d probably put the rating a step lower tho, at an 8.75 since i wanna see how well it ages for me
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since i forgot to post this on the roundup yesterday, do you listen to nana mizuki? if so, what are your favorite songs from her? my favorite album currently is magic attraction (i havent gotten that far in her discography yet) and i also loved her duet with tm revolution “preserved roses”
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I haven’t dived into any of her albums yet so I’m not super familiar with her music beyond some of the singles. I love that T.M.Revolution song, though.
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putting this at 8.5 cause I’m a bit salty Acchan only got 2 lines but it’s such a solid song
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Oh man, I love this so much.
A few things to point out:
The dance. They dance, but not crazy kpop dance. They dance and move in a way that they can actually sing it live live someday. Some of the moves remind me of Jackson 5 / Gladys Knight and the Pips-style era but make it contemporary Jpop.
The song construction. Boy does it pack it all into 3:30 running time. Soft intro then jumps out of the gate. The verses are different but maintain the momentum. Right at 2:20-2:35 they fake us out with a False Outro, then actual dance break, repeats and True Outro. Other contemporary songs these days have just ended at 2:35. Yanno how I go on about how a strong song will able to stretch and play with the material. This song. The “video edit” is 3:30, but making a 7 minute long mix would be so simple here – an extended bass solo picking from that cool lines we hear in the beginning is the first obvious addition.
The performance. Really sung. Sung harmonies too. 1:38 to 1:55 is a chef’s kiss. Octaves apart, then harmonies, back to octaves apart. Sung from the heart, full throated.
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