Thursday, March 14, 2024

Leave It All Behind: A dark 'Shake It Off'


A surprise drop today. F. Hero's "Leave It All Behind" in collaboration with Babymetal and Bodyslam. I don't know Bodyslam at all, but they provide the heavy instrumentation and some vocal bits.

The title pretty much says everything. It's a song about moving on after a disaster. Indeed the MV is set in an apocalyptic wasteland, meteor shower inbound representing circumstances beyond one's control. It's a barren land strewn with rubble. Dark clouds overhang, all shadows and gloom. Babymetal dance on a thick disk resembling a concrete chopping block, but only they and the other performers are well-lit as beacons of hope in troubled times. It can't get any worse for the Titanic run aground behind F Hero, with not a drop of water anywhere to float your boat.

Musically, it's a fun song throwing Thai, Japanese and English lyrics into a blender, and as always Babymetal picks up the catchy chorus split between Su, Moa and Momo, our favourite cheerleaders offering bright happy vibes that ward off the darkness. F Hero provides the angst and frustration though his lines are those of a Drill Sergeant yelling at his recruits to get off their butts and get back into the fray. Bodyslam's lead vocalist brings the melancholy, balancing off Su and F Hero's extreme tonal qualities. 

But this song falls flat in how literal the lyrics are. It could be a language thing, though, as maybe the English subtitles don't translate well enough, while the lyrics may hit harder for people who actually understand Thai and Japanese better than me.

Overall, while this collab isn't the crazy fun that 'Kingslayer' was, it still attempts to be uplifting and motivational. But, I haven't yet picked up an earworm of a hook, so this drop goes into my 'have to get used to it to appreciate it' category.

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