Release Date: February 5, 2025
Track Listing
- YOAKE
- SWEET NONFICTION
- Buddy Buddy
- Made of Love
- Life is Beautiful
- CRUSH
- Memories
- AlwayS
Review
Awake is NiziU’s second Japanese EP featuring the singles Memories, SWEET NONFICTION, Always and Buddy Buddy.
The buildup to NizU’s second Japanese EP began in late 2024, when a couple of pre-release songs, AlwayS and Buddy Buddy, dropped on streaming services. Both of these songs hinted at what to expect of NiziU going into 2025, and that was more of the same brand of pop music that they have perfected over the past five years.
The track listing also includes two more songs from earlier in 2024: Memories (released February 2024) and SWEET NONFICTION (released March 2024.), in case you missed them on their initial releases.
So, with half of this album already out before its full release, is there anything worth listening to?
The answer is yes. What stands out the most is the album’s opener, YOAKE. It’s an uplifting coming-of-age pop song with one of the catchiest post-chorus hooks I’ve recently heard in a J-pop girl group song. It’s a great way to start the album and deserves repeated listens.
Made of Love takes NiziU into Rock-tinged power pop. For comparables, consider songs from PASSPO or Choi Yena’s Japanese discography. This song will be in your wheelhouse if that sound floats your boat.
CRUSH is a funky piece of electronic pop music in a similar lane to RISE UP, although it is much closer to what one would hear from aespa or Lady Gaga. It has a similar raw electronic edge in music from those artists. The song is the most sonically unique, so it’s worth mentioning for that fact alone.
Even though I mentioned it earlier, I believe AlwayS deserves some attention. The arrangement is surprising, moving from an emotional ballad to a short spurt of uptempo Garage and then closing out as a power ballad. I did not have that on my bingo card for NiziU, but it’s nice to know they’re getting interesting songs to complement their typical material.
Awake is another solid outing from NizU. They have found and are sticking to their niche. You know what you’ll get with this group at this point in their career, for better or worse. So, if you’re good with that, this will be an easy addition to your J-pop library.
Stream on Spotify
Stream on Apple Music
