Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2013

UR Sensation

Alt-rock heroine Aiha Higarashi (ex-Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her) and her latest band The Girl ease out of their comfort zone on their second album UR Sensation. Where their debut Lost in Wonder stuck mostly to straightforward indie rhythms and sing-songy melodies, the new album offers a wider palette of atmospheres. On “Do What You Want To” Higurashi talk-sings like Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, while drummer Naoko Okamoto lays down a nightclub-flavored house beat on “Know Wow Wow.” Higurashi also breaks out her acoustic guitar on several numbers including the contemplative “Touch My Lips.” On “Don’t Ask Me” she plays the harried rock babe—Higurashi’s not saying she doesn’t have the answer, but issuing her admirers a command not to mess with her.

• UR sensation Release Party @Three, Feb 23
  
• Buy UR Sensation here