I Scream Party (Normal Edition)(Japan Version)

SuG's first mini album I Scream Party sounds as colorful as the band members' hair, and that's no easy task. Fun and frivolous from the very first note, LOVE SCREAM PARTY (Track 1) has fabulously catchy lead-in chords and a rolling nonsensical cheer (don't try to understand the lyrics) that's hard to dislike. The random arrangements and sudden style shifts in the track come together surprisingly well for a loud and happy anything-goes party anthem. The young and groovy energy continues with the playful TOON DAILY LATESHOW (Track 2), which manages to both rock and amuse with its great melody and riffs and sincerely silly lyrics.

Ore Shiki Continue (Track 4) goes for a harder sound with heavy beats and throaty screaming, though it returns to catchy pop rock territory in the chorus. Gentou (Track 3) also starts with hard beats that melt into a flowing rock ballad underlined by loud chords. This song is similar to Kagrra,'s style, which is a somewhat ill fit for SuG. The song's melody and lyrics are both good, but the weaknesses in Takeru's vocals are more apparent here, falling short of the smooth delivery and high notes the track calls for. Takeru's raw vocals are also apparent in Primary (Track 5), but here the rough edges add a young, sensitive touch to the song's wistful sentiments amidst a noisy atmosphere.

Sometimes SuG sounds suspiciously amateur and giddy, as if they've added too much sugar to their Pocari, but at this formative stage, youth and rawness don't detract from the band's talents and if anything add to their oshare kei appeal. They've already got the music down well, not to mention the energy and eyeliner, and that's more than enough reason to give a positive grade to SuG's heavy positive rock.