CIRRRCLE - BESTY
BESTY is the latest EP from Tokyo via LA based hip hop trio CIRRRCLE and as always it’s fresh, forward and fun, exploring a range of emotions and stories that will resonate among people from all walks of life.
If you’re late to the party, we’ve featured their music in our mixes and playlists before but now’s a good time as any to catch up with CIRRRCLE as they’re going from strength to strength having released a few EPs already. CIRRRCLE consists of Jyodan, an American brought up in Japan, Amiide, a girl from Kobe with a sweet singing voice who identifies as LGBT, and A.G.O, the Japanese producer who is a salaryman by day. It sounds like an odd group but it enables a variety of perspectives as that you may not come across in your standard experience while being easy to relate to.
This EP features six tracks, each with a different style addressing topics like friend zoning (“Besty”), failed relationships (“Too Late”) and chasing girls (“Under Pressure”, “Dance Wit U”). While “Besty” is the title track of the EP, the first single released was “TYO,” which is the ultimate anthem for the world’s greatest metropolis. If Tokyo ON ever needed a theme song, this has got to be it - TYO is a shoutout to safety (“don’t steal!”), drinking on the street, convenience stores (“Family Mart or Lawsons, either one cuz you got options”), BAPE, MUJI, the crowds and lights. It even has two of the most important phrases you need in Japan - otsukaresama desu and shitsureishimasu and an epic lyrical hook - “TYO that’s my city OK OK OK desu” which is going to be so much fun at live performances and a go-to phrase for anyone visiting Japan. It works on so many levels, the chatter in the breakdowns, the busy street sounds, the glitchy rhythm with lots of bells and whistles - easily a contender for track of the year already.
That’s pretty much the CIRRRCLE playbook - Jyodan and Amiide have a simple clear flow that’s fun and easy to follow along with a bit of wordplay and Japanese mixed in, while A.G.O brings the futuristic beats, synth bass/horn stabs, pitch manipulation, samples and scratches. It all works here, but I particularly enjoy “Dance Wit U” which is a certified headbanger for the club/lounge and “Second Love” which is a flip on twinkly piano 3/4 soul with the deep synth bass and the upfront “Who gives a f*** about our first love.” It’s messy but its real, and many of us ought be able to identify with not having a perfect Hollywood first relationship - no surprises if your first love was also the worst.
Arguably that is CIRRRCLE’s biggest appeal - they are just like us, through their music they express feelings like jealousy, insecurity, inferiority, regret and desire. Unless you’re not human, you’ll find they’re really easy to identify with, and they represent all of us, not just cool kids, supermodels or the bourgeoisie. Whether you’re straight, LGBT, black, yellow or white, you’ll find its real easy to get into CIRRRCLE. By being diverse, inclusive AND accessible they provide hope for normalizing differences in culture and race. That may be a lofty goal, but the time is right for a new breed of superheroes, and CIRRRCLE just might be the heroes we need.