Asian Junkie Asian pop. Without discretion.
Momoiro Clover Z are back with “WE ARE BORN” and are dressed like baby Teletubbies or something, but although it’s typically bizarre, the song is actually rather catchy.
Yeah, it’s odd visually, and that’s what initially catches your attention, but I always enjoy their rock instrumentation edge. The arragement helps the vocals pop out at you in the verses, and the “WE ARE BORNNN!” rock anthem like chorus is more than catchy enough to stick with the listener and make them come back wanting more. In a rarity for the J-idol category of releases, I actually found myself replaying this not only for the music video, but for the music.
And a big part of the music’s impact was the lyrics, because they’re actually not stupid. The song is essentially a metaphor for growing up and all the shit that goes with it, starting when they’ve been “pushed” out into a harsh and “uncertain” world. They go on to describe how they have to adjust to their environment of a “wasteland” of unknowns quickly because their existence is “fragile”, and that people don’t control the circumstances of their environment after birth (who/what/where), but they have to push through and crawl out of the muck, regardless. As the song goes on, the chorus evolves from talking about how they’re uncertain but unafraid, to how they’ve been wounded by life but will continue on, to how they’re dumping their fears and making a fresh start with a new attitude, which essentially mirrors the progression of the verses.
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And yes, the music video was great and goes hand-in-hand with the music’s message. From the costumes to the switching from live-action to anime to puppets, it not only altered their location and look but also their reality. So it’s not only weird, but it actually manages to make sense, and for that I have to give them credit for giving depth to the weird gimmicks and simplistic pop lyrics.
Momoiro Clover Z’s “WE ARE BORN” was just an impressive overall effort from start to finish, and it’s telling that when I started writing this article I was only intending to author a short blurb, but after listening to it and reading about the concept, I was left me no choice but to expand on it.
