The Singles Jukebox

Pop, to two decimal places.

YOASOBI – Mō Sukoshi Dake

The only controversy here is whether the song is too long or if it’s short. (Your editor felt it was fairly short, so your mileage may also vary).


[Video]
[6.43]

Ryo Miyauchi: YOASOBI alter course, and as an unfortunate result, none of the irony or juxtaposition that made “Yoru Ni Kakeru” a pop curio, if not a huge sensation, live on in “Mou Sukoshidake.” Ayase’s sprightly piano riff and skipping melody have nothing to play against as the lyrics unfold as straightforwardly sentimental and predictably optimistic. Sure, the duo could’ve been against tough opposition: “Yoru Ni Kakeru” is age-restricted now on YouTube likely for its mention of suicide, so they perhaps had to lighten up their writing as they turned this one in. And yet you still have peers like Aimyon channeling ambivalence to pop without sacrificing style or wit, even for big media tie-ins. Even if “Mō Sukoshi Dake” is a sincere attempt from YOASOBI to offer something cheery for a change, positivity here is too easily found to leave behind any worthwhile reward.
[5]

Mark Sinker: REVIEW IN THE FORM OF A QUESTION: isn’t 3.40 insanely long for the competition-winning theme tune of a morning news show, even if it’s so perky? Or do they simply fade it early on — in which case these’s a lot of careful thought and variation gone into the later stages of the arrangement? I mean, none of this my problem really but…
[5]

Juana Giaimo: It’s been three days since I first listened to this and I still feel the same. I love the playful piano (and it does so many things, you could listen to this song a hundred times and still discover new things) the sweet vocals, the synth solo that fits the song perfectly and the key change towards the end, which is unexpected but not so shocking to mess up how warm this song is. I wish I had more time to write something meaningful, but I just want to thank this song for being an unexpected caress in the middle of a hard day. 
[9]

Dorian Sinclair: “Mō Sukoshi Dake” is a beautifully light and airy piece — the lift of the chorus contrasts really well with the conversational delivery and looser melody of the verse, and Ikura’s voice (augmented with a well-judged hint of post-production warble) suits both extremely well. That said, there are some missteps. Most notable is the buzzy synth solo two minutes in, which is jarringly different from any of the other instruments on the track, but the song is also about one chorus too long — if the key change at the end was cut and the ending rewritten, I think it would feel significantly tighter.
[7]

Alfred Soto: A winsome performance singing ice cream van melody does not make me miss some tartness, but at almost four minutes long it could’ve used an editor.
[6]

Rachel Saywitz: As a standalone single, “Mō Sukoshi Dake” is a plain but acceptable summer ditty, Ikura’s (half of YOASOBI) voice ringing through with a sweet but precise lilt. If we were rating this song in the context of how well it would do on a morning news TV show, however, it’d be 10s all around, considering that this is indeed a theme song for a morning news show in Japan. Imagine something like The Daily opening with this precious little pick-me-up of a song! Nothing Barbaro can say will bring me down after this cute banger!
[7]

Nortey Dowuona: Warm, plush piano driven anime outdo music. And it’s short!
[6]

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comments