Merry - Sayonara Rain

Pours excellence, that is! Merry’s new single is standard blues-rock fare but still manages to captivate you until the very end. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

01- Sayonara Rain
This track starts off with a typical Merry-riff and continues to develop into a strong, catchy song. The only downside is that the main solo is very brief and forgettable. However, the song does end with a solo version of the main melody and makes up for the lack of a “true” solo.

This track won’t jump to the top of the list for most fans but will still find itself played many times in their CD players. Definitely a winner.

02-Sentimental New Pop
This one is a bit heavier than what you’d expect from the band and it’s great! Even Gara’s vocals are a bit on the raw side (if you don’t consider his vocals to be raw to begin with). The chorus is very catchy; I guarantee you’ll be humming it in the shower. The solo sneaks in at around 1:38mins and is sure to make you practice your air-guitar (a sure-fire sign that you’ve got a winning solo on your hands, pups).

Great song, probably my favorite on the single.

03-Slow Dive
I love the “radio” effect that the song starts off with. Very retro, very cool. The main riff rips into the song soon afterwards, reminiscent of elements found in Dick Dale’s Misirlou (opening theme song from the movie Pulp Fiction). Most of Merry’s material is on the short side and this song isn’t an exception. However, this shouldn’t turn you away as these three minutes hold some great moments, especially the solo which is all-around excellent. You can’t really expect less from Yuu and Kenichi, their melodies nowhere short of outstanding.

Short but very sweet.

There really isn’t much to say here, pups: this one’s a great addition to your collection. Is this a good release to start with if you want to get into Merry? Definitely. It has all the elements that make these guys what they are. If you like this, you can expect the same great stuff on all their discs.

Stay wild, pups!

OVERALL RATING: 9/10 for outstanding musicianship throughout. Great listening for any time or type of day.