Ryugujo are a young group at a crossroads. They’ve been a favorite of mine since forming on the excellent Year 0, Class 0 series and went on to develop a unique and compelling discography. Through it all, mentor and producer Avu-chan oversaw everything. But after the shock announcement that Avu-chan would be stepping down as producer after this spring’s Waltz, I had no idea where Ryugujo would go. How do you possibly replicate such an idiosyncratic sound? Can Ryugujo still be Ryugujo without Avu-chan? With the release of new single OSHIBAI, I can happily answer with a resounding “yes.”

It helps that Ryugujo chose great producers to pick up the mantle. OSHIBAI is the work of composers Yuki Tsujimura and Ken Ito, J-pop veterans who have been responsible for many of my favorite tracks over the years. Readers of this blog may know them from Yurina Hirate’s Reason For Dance or News’ A Real Man or Hey! Say! JUMP’s I Am and Fanfare. With OSHIBAI, they provide Ryugujo a seamless transition into a new era, fusing fast-paced, incantational verses to a robust, anthemic chorus.

At first, OSHIBAI simply flooded me with relief. The song is good, thank goodness. But with each listen, I find new elements to latch onto. I love the subtle ascent from verse to pre-chorus as the vocal layering becomes fuller and the performance more urgent. The utterly deranged bridge is also a highlight, climaxing in a twisted scream that ushers in the song’s finale. Then, the extended outro brings everything together in a maelstrom of streamlined chaos. There’s plenty of tension coursing through the track, but the cathartic, ‘sing-it-at-the-top-of-your-lungs’ chorus works as a brilliant anchor. OSHIBAI may not be as structurally thrilling as Deep Wave or as purely anthemic as 2 MUCH, but it’s Ryugujo’s best single in awhile and a very promising opening salvo to this stage of their career.

Grade: A-