FAKY continue to excel and make their mark with “You”

Following up on the intriguing “Afterglow“, FAKY is back again with “You“, which marks yet another quality release that I wish/hope would get traction in the Japanese market.

“You” drew me in from the start because the backing instrumental was vaguely reminiscent of The Neptunes for Justin Timberlake or BoA‘s “My Name” but with modern adjustments, both of which are definite positive influences to draw from. The song’s structure was constructed well, the hook was solid and completed the build, and the execution of the song itself was vocally impressive and different from most Japanese releases.

Unlike with “Afterglow”, though, most of my complaints come from the music video, where we’re still waiting for them to be allowed to show off proper choreo, for Avex to give them a bigger budget, and for the director to actually even attempt to keep all the members in the frame for 50% of the “group” shots.

Regardless, minor quibbles aside, FAKY join E-Girls as the only other J-pop girl group I pay attention to for music releases (unless BABYMETAL count), and I think they’re headed down the right path with this modern-sounding hip-pop vibe. It especially stands out compared to most current J-pop and J-idol releases that sound about at least two decades dated.

FAKY: Official Site