Bold and fearless, Japanese-British singer/songwriter
Rina Sawayama made her full-length debut with the genre-bending statement
Sawayama. Rooted in the sounds of the early 2000s, the set lovingly mines that era's mainstream mélange of teen pop, nu-metal, and beat-driven R&B, twisting the familiar with updated production and complex lyrical substance. At its core,
Sawayama is about identity and finding oneself while navigating through minefields of culture, race, gender, and sexuality. Pulled between East and West ever since moving from her native Japan to northern London at a young age,
Sawayama bridges both worlds and tackles issues common to those with cross-cultural backgrounds. On this journey, she addresses intergenerational conflict and the burden of family history with the dramatic "Dynasty" -- which sounds like her biggest inspiration,
Utada Hikaru, fronting early-era
Evanescence -- and "Akasaka Sad," an electro-trap time warp that sounds like something
Aaliyah might have done. After symbolically breaking the chains of hereditary pain and filial pressure, she sets her sights on the dangers of losing oneself to capitalist excess with "XS," a throwback to early-era
Destiny's Child and
Christina Aguilera that's amplified with buzzing metal riffs. Those guitars subtly prepare listeners for the aggressive metallic uppercut "STFU!" On this standout track, she vents her anger and frustration, taking aim at fetishized Yellow Fever fantasies and the white male gaze with a force that would make
Korn and
Deftones proud. Once these demons are exorcized, she slides onto the dancefloor with the throwback club track "Comme des Garçons (Like the Boys)," cleverly employing the name of the iconic Japanese fashion brand and the original French phrase on this slick empowerment anthem dedicated to girl power and the queer community. Throughout,
Sawayama deftly walks the line between confrontational force and wounded vulnerability, one minute fighting for acceptance on "Love Me 4 Me" and then struggling to find hope on "Fuck This World" and "Who's Gonna Save U Now?" When she's not lashing out against outside forces, she atones for past wrongs to family ("Paradisin'") and friends ("Bad Friend") and dedicates her affection and solidarity to the LGBTQ community ("Chosen Family"). With such lyrical and stylistic density to absorb, it's a wonder that she executes it so flawlessly. On this stunning debut,
Sawayama captures
Dua Lipa's future nostalgia and
Poppy's metal-meets-pop savvy, rightfully making it her own with more depth, bigger thrills, and a limitless palette. ~ Neil Z. Yeung