TENDRE - LIFE LESS LONELY
Full of warmth and positivity, TENDRE's poignant second album "LIFE LESS LONELY" is just the tonic for these difficult times.
With the release of several EPs followed by booked out performances in recent years, 2020 should have been a big year for TENDRE's Kawahara Taro, but like many artists the COVID-19 situation put a dent in those plans. While those who rely on big stadium concerts and party hooks to make money have definitely suffered, the subdued times may have worked in his favor, allowing him to spend more time thinking about life and how we have been affected by COVID. What he ended up focusing on is not the virus, politics or fear, but the loneliness that we have been forced to experience during this difficult period.
The result of this is "LIFE LESS LONELY". Rather than dwell upon tragedy or sadness, TENDRE has chosen to take a positive approach, making this a celebration of life. In fact, the album starts with a track titled "LIFE" and, knowing that there's no such thing as forever, until the day comes when we have to say goodbye, he wants us to show/reveal our best selves no matter what the circumstances or situation. This is followed by "WINDY" which perfectly captures the spirit and movement of the wind, tinged with melancholy of changing seasons (how Japanese). And on “FRESH” which features Ryohu from KANDYTOWN, they urge you to rebel against loneliness, go out and search for something. In this COVID world we may have forgotten how to do that, but TENDRE tells us to remember how,
there’s still time. But of course he knows we live in a difficult, scary and sometimes unfair world - on “NOT EASY” he admits it’s hard to rely on a smile to cover up the pain, and on “HOPE” he expresses the pure honest need to reach out to others.
This wouldn't work unless the music itself was beautiful, fortunately that is TENDRE's specialty. As a multi instrumentalist, the arrangements are organic and colorful, featuring his saxophone play, mellow keyboards, funky bass and smooth grooves. You may not jump out of your seat and party to this, but you may find yourself naturally nodding your head and bopping along. And though Ryohu yells out “TENDRE on the beat..oh sh****” , as great a producer as he is, as a beat maker he’s not Timbaland or even illmore (personally I’d be more excited at “TENDRE on the sax!”). TENDRE production is much more subtle and mature.
If anything, it’s always pleasant to listen to and comforting like the warmth of a fireplace (or in Japan, the heater under the kotatsu). At the same time, the lyrics are deep and feature a lot of clever wordplay, when he sings “u-ra-ra” as a post chorus in WINDY, although it sounds like “ooh la la” to an English speaker it’s actually another Japanese word for ”beautiful”.
Over the course of 10 songs, “LIFE LESS LONELY” paints a touching picture of life in the new normal messed up world, finding beauty and joy among sadness and struggle, but never overly melodramatic or preachy. It strikes the right balance and tone throughout from start to finish - he even avoided the use of orchestral strings! 2020 may have been the worst year ever, but “LIFE LESS LONELY” shall be one of the best things to come from all this.
Tokyo ON also recommends: TAMTAM - We Are The Sun!, SATO MOKA - Glints