It’s been tricky being a Kis-My-Ft2 fan lately. I’ve long held them up as my favorite J-pop group and recently ran down their entire discography when it finally made its way to streaming (check the posts out here and here!), but I haven’t cared for any of their material in the past couple years. And with key member Hiromitsu Kitayama leaving the group, their power seemed diminished. These circumstances make new single Glory Days even more satisfying. It’s the closest we’ve gotten to a perfect Kis-My-Ft2 song in years.

The keyword here is “rock.” Kis-My-Ft2 have always worked incredibly well in this genre, with many of my favorite songs featuring prominent guitar and anthemic melodies. For Glory Days, they’ve worked with composer Kamikaze Boy from excellent rock band Man With A Mission, and I hope this becomes a lasting collaboration. He gives them the kind of uplifting stadium singalong they made their name on — equal parts open-hearted cheese and hard-fought grit. The instrumental surges with energy even as the song itself has more of a ballad structure. This combination is incredibly effect, feeling like a celebratory victory lap.

Melodically, Glory Days recalls past hits like Home, merged with the sentimental heft of a song like Chotokkyu’s Yell. Again, this is a winning formula for me. The melody has such lift, building until it explodes in a rousing post-chorus chant. It becomes more satisfying each time I lhear it and only reminds me why I love this group’s music so dearly. It has such life-affirming energy. And after the diminishing returns of the past few years, it gives me such pleasure to give this an unabashedly high rating.

Grade: A