Melt Banana
's first album since embarking on a six-year hiatus, 2013's
Fetch
, is a monstrously frenetic, high-energy blast of anthemic bubble-punk and passionate noise-rock. Barring their 2009
Lite Live: Ver.0.0
side project album,
is the group's first collection of new material since 2007's
Bambi's Dilemma
. Even with the hiatus, it took the band longer than expected to finish
. In 2011, the recording sessions had to be postponed due to the Tohoku earthquake and the aftermath of the subsequent meltdown at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Once
were ready to return to the tracks, both emotionally and logistically, they re-engaged with the material, building the songs up little by little, resulting in an ornate, beautifully detailed album of both immediate pop intensity and epic emotional depth. While they performed with a full-band lineup for years, the band's core members opted to stick with synthesized backing on
. Though pared down to a duo comprised of vocalist
Yako
and guitarist/keyboardist
Agata
,
's sound is still as huge as ever, from the skewering hard rock of opener "Candy Gun" to the mischievous and euphoric left-field punk-pop of "Zero." Each song on
feels so meticulous and so conscientiously crafted, it's hard to listen to it without arriving at a cliched but undeniable truism: good things come to those who wait. ~ Matt Collar