Style: Synthwave with a touch of darksynth
Primary Emotions/Themes: Sugary sweet synth pop with a touch of darkness
Thoughts: The opening notes of I'd Rather Live With Ghosts gave me such a rush of pure unadulterated happiness that I wondered if I could even finish the song. I picked this album up off of my previous experience with the band on ＨＥＡＲＴ_心臓, and needless to say they continued right where they left off.
Blush is not entirely Heart part 2, but it feels like the evolution of that style. The songs are again bright and sparkly, but the vocals this time are handled by the band themselves instead of having guests. In fact the first three to four songs of the album are a direct continuation of the style found on Heart.
It's not until we get to Digital Cocaine that we see the band take a stark turn into darksynth. It hit me out of nowhere the first time I listened. Everything on the album has been happy hunky dory, and then I'm side swiped by this deep bone chilling instrumental that rivals some of the best that the genre has to offer. The melodies still retain a bit of the sparkly luster that the pop songs have, but they are coupled with that deep driving bass that only darksynth has. It's fantastic.
The band continues to play synth pop after this point, but things seem just a little bit more subdued. Mascara has just a touch of sadness to it. Love Byte pays tribute to late eighty's Depeche Mode and has a fantastic guitar riff during the powerful chorus. I Hope it Hurts Like Hell is another cool instrumental that doesn't have the deep bass of Digital Cocaine but still makes me bob my head to its grooves.
The second half of the album is really where the band blooms... and it works perfectly for a record. Side A is what I came to expect from the band considering their previous album, and Side B is where they start to spread their wings. A great mix of old and new.
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