It’s been three years since their last LP LEVEL3 but Japanese dance-pop superstar three-piece Perfume are back with a brand new full-length record Cosmic Explorer, and it is everything we’ve been hoping for.
Perfume have spent the past 13-odd years honing their signature sound and performance – sparkling synths, danceable beats, clockwork choreography and futuristic sets and costumes, and it’s obvious in the quality and consistency of Cosmic Explorer that their years of experience haven’t gone to waste. The first taste of this record came at 2015’s SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, where the trio performed an explosive rendition of the previously unreleased track “Story” (Track 5 on the new record) using projections and translucent screens, totally blowing away the crowd both in the theatre and around the world via YouTube live stream. The darker, more industrial tones of “Story” aren’t quite in sync with the sweet and catchy ditties Perfume are known for, but this direction suits them just as well and there are elements of it threaded through out Cosmic Explorer. Given that dance and visual effects are a huge part of the Perfume experience, it’s no surprise that vocals take a backseat in many of their songs – “Miracle Worker” and “Next Stage With You” are very synth driven tracks, and the latter uses effect-laden voices as instruments in their own right with lyric-less voice lines.
| A1 | Navigate |
| A2 | Cosmic Explorer |
| A3 | Miracle Worker |
| A4 | Next Stage With YOU |
| B1 | STORY |
| B2 | FLASH (Album-mix) |
| B3 | Sweet Refrain (Album-mix) |
| C1 | Baby Face |
| C2 | TOKIMEKI LIGHTS (Album-mix) |
| C3 | STAR TRAIN (Album-mix) |
| C4 | Relax In The City |
| D1 | Pick Me Up |
| D2 | Cling Cling (Album-mix) |
| D3 | Hold Your Hand |
