Taking off higher and higher!

Polkadot Stingray soared sky high with their mini-album Shinseiki EP and wanted to continue the momentum with the band’s first digital-only release “JET”. Were they able to land on the runway as planned or did they stumble on the way over?

“JET” was originally released on March 29, 2020 across all digital music streaming platforms and announced during the band’s YouTube livestream the day prior. This was Polkadot Stingray’s first digital track of 2020 and their latest release since their Shinseiki EP in January. This new number was used in collaboration with popular Australia based airline company Jetstar, hence its name. It was written by lead singer Shizuku with the rest of the band composing the track.

“JET” possesses a more whimsical and light composition compared to the alternative rock heavy tone the band is known for. This is in part due to their guest keyboardist MARI of the band Gesu no Kiwami Otome, who Polkadot Stingray asked for personally. Her presence is an impressionable one as her arrangement is crafted with a sense of wonderment in mind, which ends up making this track, unlike anything the band has made before. This wonderment paired with lead guitarist Harushi’s expertise leads to a delightfully breezy, lighthearted composition. Shizuku’s vocal style is also a first: it expresses a sort of childlike delight as she leads up to the chorus which features that give and take some pop-rock artists like to use to entice listeners. This is the next evolution, so to speak, of the band tackling this type of genre since their track “A Stinging Spica” months prior.

This lightheartedness is doubled in the track’s music video which is directed by Takuya Kurahashi from the music production team Quark Tokyo, and its scenario was brought to life by Shizuku herself. The video features Shizuku going through a day in her life and cutely doing a small dance number throughout the song’s chorus. Choreographed by dancer GENTA, this quirky take goes against Shizuku’s “girl with a gutter” persona she has constructed throughout the years. The final lead-up to the track’s end displays the band performing in an airport hangar and prominently features a Jetstar airplane behind them promising “All day, everyday low fares.”

“JET” boasted that not only are they able to continue their momentum from 2019, but they will also keep raising the bar higher and higher with each release. Currently, this track is available across all streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music. The music video is also available via the group’s official YouTube channel which you can check out below.

★★★★★

Ken’s rating: 5/5

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