I smiled when she ran through the english alphabet with the band burning through a crazy long run. I laughed out loud at the end when she's vibing with the band reciting the japanese alphabet. This song has so much going on in such a poppy package... it's honestly amazing.
Funnily enough, she sings Ya, Yi, Yu, Ye, Yo, to keep in the time and rhyme, but Japanese does not have yi, or yu as characters (or rather, hasn't for centuries, the characters for Yi and Ye are archaic and not used in modern Japanese) and also to fit the timing they added Pa, Pi, Pu, Pe, Po, which is just the H-line with maru (a little circle diacritic), but they didn't include Wa, Wo, or N, again to keep with the timing.
Would recommend checking out Jon Bellion because he can kind of sing over things like this but he mostly uses his voice in a weird way to create some harmonies and beats plus his behind the scenes stuff is really interesting because it sheds a lot of insight to his musical background and genius for that matter
@@jpl1608 Yes, it's pop, not with a base made with a synthesizer in 5 minutes, but with one of the most talented groups in the modern era. Is clear the message, what he means when saying "This type of music" is pop with actual musicians and not just a nice voice, a cute face and a IA doing 70% of the job, which CAN be a new genre.
Fun fact: When Polyphia first started they were a We Came As Romans type Metalcore band with a Singer and Harsh Vocalist. My band at the time played with them quite a few times(this was in Dallas/Plano area when they were still just a local band) It wasn't a year in or so until they kicked their vocalist out and went instrumental only
I knew they had Japanese influence in the beginning of the song. Their guitar riffs sound similar to what is popular in the Japanese metal and deathcore scenes.
@@jakebergen1837 i only know one called Sailing before the Wind, and another one that Is more eletronic metalcore like i see stars, is called Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, they did the First opening for the Parasyte anime and the First ending for 2011's Hunter x Hunter version
That's why i weirdly liked this song despite not really liking polyphia even that much. I'm more an Ichika guy that prefers beautiful melodic phrases that don't have to be super ultra technical
@@TheDiamondBladeHD How do you not like Polyphia, they are the most amazing composers around right now!! Jk, we all like what we like, but man, I have never been so inspired to pick the guitar back up like I was when I heard Polyphia for the first time. Favorite band now, seeing them in Louisville in a couple months. Even if you don't like them, you have to admit Tim and Scott are some of the most amazing guitarists alive right now!
I feel like this song is great evolution for Polyphia. Because they decided to take a step back on the guitar and leave space for someone to add their own vocal layer to the track. It’s great growth I think. And as Nick mentioned, I definitely see this as a TikTok song that could trend really well. Already I think I’ve listened to this song 50 times lol it’s great.
someone said before that they are the limp bizkit of modern prog in an Adam Neely video and ever since then I stopped listening to them after realizing the accuracy of the comment, but then I saw a reddit thread about it and someone said they are just in the middle of their evolution and honestly if this is the end of said evolution I won't be too mad
Ego has nothing to do with it. They've worked with vocalists before and even had a vocalist originally. But even if they hadn't, they've earned the right to have an ego. If anything their attitude has helped their music rather than held it back.
@@sentientcardboarddumpster7900 no? Never said I was loving them lol. I was only a casual listener of them before and after I stopped listening to them completely
Interesting that you mention eventual crossovers with this genre and mainstream pop- Ichika was actually recently credited as writing a song for Machine Gun Kelley
The more I listen to this song the more it grows on me. Catchy af, the Clay's bass, in the beginning of the song especially, is incredibly funky, and the arrangement is just so tasty. Vocals were great with the style, and the video is just pure fun and I like that they don't take themselves too seriously.
6:00 Ichika is in a couple bands with vocals, he used to be in one I forget the name of (I think that band has vocals but I don't really remember) and now he's in a band called dios
Here I was thinking to reach a broader audience they just opted to sing the alphabet in english and japanese but then this singer isnt the bridge to that wider audience so it being just a whim is more fitting.
can we also appreciate production/editing/mixing engineers' work on that track, as well as the rest of the album? that precision and lightness is incredible
NGL, this might be my favorite Polyphia song ever made. It's so fucking good and this makes me super hyped to hear the other vocal features on the new album. Another reason this band just continues to evolve and be unique.
The killstation feature is what I’m looking forward too, guy is super unique sounding ! (Limbo by killstation and xxxtentacion is a good one to check out if you’re not familiar)
I’m not sure if anyone has pointed it out, but the part she is singing in Japanese is all of the Hiragana syllables which is essentially the “Japanese alphabet” if you want to think about it that way. So not only is she singing the English alphabet, but also the Japanese one as well!
I think if we always got an instrumental version as well, I would be okay with more vocals. It is very different and took a bit to warm up to, but it does work well and if that is what they want to do I'm curious to see how far they can take it.
Agree. I'm sure this album will have an instrumental version. I'd bet on it. Maybe as time goes on though, they might make some songs that just wouldn't really hit well without the vocals and not have instrumental versions.
When Tim did the in the cut video it absolutely blew my mind, and absolutely convinced me their music has to have vocals, it just sounds so well and complements each other so well
She's just saying the Alphabeth in Japanese as well. it's not actually making sense verbally, it just sounds unexpectedly good, like anything Polyphia does.
We might have just seen the start of a new genre here. Nik, I'm totally with you bro. These guys have such pop elements in their music and yet so awesome. We'll probably see them at the Grammy's pretty soon.
What could I say is that this is the proof of their growth to be more versatile than ever. You took out the vocals, it's still a legit polyphia tunes. With vocal, it's a fresher take for their artistic direction without the feeling it's been forced out to be a heavy pop oriented song. Really shows how great their musicality grows every releases. I want to expect the unexpected in the future album!
This song introduced me to Sophia Black too. I'm a former pop music listener turned metalcore/deathcore/progressive/etc music lover who will not listen to pop since it is super generic and boring. Nothing has changed. Pop music is still boring to me yet not generic. Polyphia adding in a vocalist to their collab feature has always sent me away since I became a fan of theirs. I get the same ole guitar/drum/bass greatness from the bois, plus a cool vocal feature. Cuco joined them in their last album with their song So Strange. It's a very good song. I also discovered Cuco through Polyphia. These men some how rally pop artists into working with them. Allowing the pop artists to do their thing while Polyphia does Polyphia things.... And it just works each time!!! Huge props to the musicianship each of these men have within the band to create such an organically feeling blend of two worlds
To be fair it’s radio Pop that’s boring just like anything else on the radio including radio rock and radio rap etc. Top 40 has always been trash but there’s some pretty wild experimental pop out there that’s way closer to this and it’s just pop in the sense of style and chord choices. SOPHIE for example is wild hyperpop that bleeds into experimental Elecrronic and it’s anything but boring lol
@@swarthygiant1463 Yup, pop for me IS hyperpop. I can listen to the occasional catchy radio song, there’s a lot of good ariana grande songs etc., but it’s artists like Sophie, brakence, underscores, charli xcx, 100 gecs and glaive that keep me going. Also Aries never misses, not hyperpop though, but worth mentioning.
@@swarthygiant1463 you're completely right! I do find sub sections of pop to be great and not boring!! For the sake of showing how much of a difference between my take on pop as a whole to this song and my attitude towards pop is, I generalized all of pop music into one
tbf there is another mostly Polythia track with vocals, they did provide some guitar work for Babymetal's last album (Title is Brand New Day) which also sounds very Polythia with vocals
I was really looking forward to your reaction to this song. It's brilliant, completely different than anything they've done before but after few listens I fell in love with it.
It is kinda funny, cause Neurotica I didn't vibe with immediately (I do now), but with this one I couldn't resist moving to the groove. This song is very danceable and happy, which I believe is the point.
I really hope this is gonna blow up on the radios and shit. This band is so damn technical and good that I really dont mind that they made "poppy commercial" music and the fucking deserve to be known
Sophia Black is half(?) Japanese, hence the Japanese lyrics. But even those "lyrics" in the hook are just Japanese syllabary in Katakana. The other part before that in the background is going on about how good looking her crush is in the narrative.
Lol it's actually crazy no one has got this yet, it's not Japanese syllabary in katakana, it's literally the hiragana alphabet, or the equivalent of abcdefg in Japanese.
@@Legaliaaa Ah whoops, I put on hold trying to learn the writing systems a while ago. But they still are syllabaries regardless. It's not completely analogous to an alphabet, but you're right in the sense that it serves as the equivalent one.
To me this song was very hyper-pop. The fast paced side of it with Sophias poppy vocals. I could see PinkPantheress on a song like this, that would be a crazy collab.
Based on the way their songs are written, it isn't much of a surprise that they are starting to include vocals. Even amongst all the chaos of a thousand licks, they always manage to have clear and catchy melodies in all of their songs
This whole video felt so much like a Japanese commercial, that the Japanese vocals didn't even surprise me. It more or less confirmed where they got their inspiration from XD
@@fclefjefff4041 I was talking about polyphia as a whole, not this song. If anything this song could work as an entry barrier for people who like pop music
And this kind of math-rock (or whatever you choose to call it) is never going to become popular among the general population. It appeals to guitar nerds shredding in their bedrooms and that's about it. I know you think Polyphia are going to save the world, but to the average person their music is mildly interesting at best.
@@fclefjefff4041 my mistake, I meant to say “entry to the barrier”. And it’s not math rock lol since this is all standard time. I am not disagreeing with you but you’re making assumptions based on what I said and that’s not wrong to think that way, but it comes off as a little close minded. I don’t think they will “save the world”, if you need me to spell it out for you to understand so you don’t make any assumptions then it’s like this: I think polyphia will bring a new wave rock through the fusion of pop music and/or rap music in the music mainstream music scene. (Very important to note I used the words “I think”, which means that it’s not fact but just my opinion) And that’s fine if the average person thinks it’s mildly interesting, if the average person knows about them that means they have made the breakthrough they deserved. If the mainstream audience labels them as the weird instrumental band that blends genres so be it, as long as they keep making bangers and music that they like. And myself I’m a bassist, I don’t really care much for the guitar but I can see their incredible skill and usually what makes me stay is their bass lines, they’re just sexy to me
That was an insane track! The entire band was absolutely insane on this track yet kind of surprising, I really didn't expect them to make some fast-paced music (especially since I haven't listened to them a lot, I know they've done some metalcore stuff but I only really listened to some of their math rock stuff). And damn the vocalist isn't the most powerful vocalist of all time but she did an insane job, I can't think of anyone else who could've got the job done but her (or Ariana Grande maybe, but I think Sophia's voice fits this style better) Random fun fact: it seems she is half-japanese, which could explain why she switched to the japanese alphabet during the song
This singer fits perfectly...with her i feel like Tim gets what he wanted basically...it would be good for them having songs like this and 1/3 of the album with only instrumentals
There are some other WTFs in ABC's video not mentioned in THIS video, like the bright-pink goat head (is it? I had to pause and zoom in to realize what I was looking at) on the wheel (goat, get it?) and the split second there with Sophia and that half-naked dude on the cliff in which Sophia is switched for LePage wearing Sohpia's blouse and grinning ear-to-ear at the camera with a rose in his teeth for model dude's surprise.
Brian Bowles 23 hours ago It's not Polyphia's first release with vocals - So Strange (feat. Cuco) on New Levels comes to mind. But it is their best release with vocals. Having heard Tim Hensosn talk about his pop and hip hop influnces, coupled with his collaboration with Luke Holland, covering BTS' 'Butter', I'm not surprised to see them release a pop song. When I saw the track list from RTYWD released a month or so ago and saw Sophia Black featured, I looked her up. After checking out her bio, I pegged this track to be a pop song. I think Polyphia is best thing happening in music right now. I love their roots, but also that they aren't boxing themselves into a niche genre. They have the creative chops to take a pop song and maintain the musical identitiy that makes them instantly recognizable and great. This tune has hooks galore and is pure ear candy. I have a feeling we haven't heard the last genre crossover from them. I agree with Nik - I can imagine them being featured on future tracks from mainstream pop artists like Posty and Ariana Grande, etc.. ABC may be their sales pitch to do just that. Wouldn't it be great to see them performing with a pop artist on the VMAs or something? How better to broaden their exposure and share their talent with new fans?
Polyphia just got a lot more interesting with vocals now. You now have an idea of how crazy awesome Polyphia can be if there are vocals and not their original style without vocals.
I was astonished by how pop oriented this track was. It reminded me of a cross between PC Music and their weird hyper-produced pitch shifting singles and something Olivia Rodrigo would do. I agree that this is different from what they normally do even compared to other tracks on this upcoming album but it seems like they are trying to branch out and draw in new fans from outside of the rock listener demographic. I think your comment that this is going to be a TikTok song will probably be accurate, the music video has enough WTF to get replicated and meme'd. Despite it being an obvious attempt to attract pop music listeners it doesn't feel like pandering to me since all of the guys in Polyphia are relatively young and fit into that mid to late 20s (early 30s) demographic of terminally online social media personalities. The inclusion of guitar tab and guitar hero as well as the whole video being a parody of ads really feels like they know who they are trying to attract with this single. Its also weirdly ear-wormy. I watched it once and was entertained, I know how it stuck in my head, it creeps up on you.
Fun fact. Polyphia is from my home town. They used to be prog and had a vocalist. RUclips polyphia first ep with vocals. Should pop up with a blue image of the polyphia logo.
THANK YOU. I was looking for this comment so bad. Criminal how underrated Unprocessed is among Polyphia's listeners. Just my opinion but the vocals make Unprocessed way better for me, especially listening to them for a while. I get bored of Polyphia after a few songs but I could listen to Unprocessed all day long.
@@XxNoMErcY99xX same here. Unprocessed just has a little more to offer. Polyphia is too accessible for my particular taste. Animals As Leaders is more my style in terms of instrumental.
Honestly surprised they havent went full pop with their style. Was expecting that fully leading up to this album release. While the first two single didn't meet that expectation it will be interesting to see their other cuts off it.
Tim and Scott collaborated with BABYMETAL for Brand New Day, that already was like listening Polyphia with vocals😅. Anyway, yes this is brilliant and so funny! 🤘🦊⚡️
I feel like they’d only ever do what producers do and have featured vocals across an album. But then you have for instance Flume who brings in Kucka like all the time and so she gets kind of associated as the “flume voice”. The track list for Polyphia 4 is out and it has a ton of different vocals including Chino from Deftones
Idk part of me wants to see that but at the same time people really like being able to listen to and appreciate just the instrumentals. Honestly though, it could also be what gives them big commercial success.
There was one portion in Japanese that I don’t understand (cuz I don’t speak it) but most of the Japanese was her going though the Japanese syllables - the equivalent of her going through the English alphabet sounds in the English portion
![Megan Thee Stallion - Roc Steady (feat. Flo Milli) [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/HozPPyqW0dY/mqdefault.jpg)
*That was different...*
That was really …. Anime vibes, nice rock solo you know, really nice rap and lines, and … colors and it was funny my it was groovy … so yea
This was quite eventful especially towards the end lol
I'm already subscribed to you you metal gremlin.
didnt see that coming...........
You need to react to the new parkway drive song Darker Still
if pop music goes this direction i aint complaining
Japanese pop has a lot of songs like this, western pop I don't think is going this way tho sadly
@@carlosllano5713 a handful of hyperpop artists are like this
So true
@@paradiis_agreed, brakence is my favorite artist, there is def good music out there
Facts lmao let’s start a petition
Nobody:
Polyphia: Let's make a mathrock song with pop vocals in japanese
methrock
@@andyghozz
Matoroku
That’s basically Deerhoof
@@andyghozz yes this song is a new genre which we shall lovingly call methrock
She's only singing the Japanese alphabet though? 😂
She’s legit following Tim’s melody when she sings the alphabet at 140bpm, fuckin insane
There’s no way the impressive thing for you is her saying it fast vs him playing it fast 🗿
@@MultiAssassin31 the fact anyone can keep up with Tim is impressive
@@LukaTheDon77 I mean saying the alphabet in like 3 seconds isn’t really impressive 💀
@@MultiAssassin31 like seriously, middle schoolers can even do it.
@@MultiAssassin31 Send a clip of you doing it
Out of all reactions, Nik's is the one I look forward to the most. Nik and Polyphia are like peanut butter and jelly.
Weird american stuff? I thought Nik was canadian... /s
Hes the reason i even found decided to finally listen to Polyphia. XD
Like milk and chalk
I agree, until he reacts to Architects. The reaction is overdone and exaggerated when it comes to them.
Whos the jelly?
Calling this song catchy feels like an understatement, it’s the type of song you hear once or twice then it gets permanently stuck in your head
Its a mess, how can this get stuck in your head
@@Jasper-Holland go listen to metalcore kid
@@Jasper-Holland sophia's vocals thats how. She has a voice that does that
No, calling this song catchy is a normal statement and deservedly so.
dude stop being everywhere
Damn! Even the vocalists have to sweep pick their lines.
Underrated comment right here.
I smiled when she ran through the english alphabet with the band burning through a crazy long run. I laughed out loud at the end when she's vibing with the band reciting the japanese alphabet. This song has so much going on in such a poppy package... it's honestly amazing.
So that's what she was saying. The music video has the lyrics but obviously japanese and google translate arent best friends
@@TheRedAnvil40 she was singing what is essentially the japanese equivalent of the alphabet
@@TheRedAnvil40 to add a bit of trivia: hiragana is a syllabic alphabet consisting of 46 characters
@@TheRedAnvil40 She's singing through the hiragana,あいうえお、さしすせそ、etc. That tune is used to help learn them.
Funnily enough, she sings Ya, Yi, Yu, Ye, Yo, to keep in the time and rhyme, but Japanese does not have yi, or yu as characters (or rather, hasn't for centuries, the characters for Yi and Ye are archaic and not used in modern Japanese) and also to fit the timing they added Pa, Pi, Pu, Pe, Po, which is just the H-line with maru (a little circle diacritic), but they didn't include Wa, Wo, or N, again to keep with the timing.
More pop artists should try to sing over this type of music. Id listen to pop if it was like this haha
I think this song classifies as a pop
This type of music?
It’s pop. There’s nothing rock about it.
Would recommend checking out Jon Bellion because he can kind of sing over things like this but he mostly uses his voice in a weird way to create some harmonies and beats plus his behind the scenes stuff is really interesting because it sheds a lot of insight to his musical background and genius for that matter
@@jpl1608 Yes, it's pop, not with a base made with a synthesizer in 5 minutes, but with one of the most talented groups in the modern era. Is clear the message, what he means when saying "This type of music" is pop with actual musicians and not just a nice voice, a cute face and a IA doing 70% of the job, which CAN be a new genre.
@@jpl1608 it’s prog instrumentals. You’re tripping
Vocalist just freaking matched Tim's speed.
looking forward to seeing her cover Archspire
It was just the alphabet
Fun fact: When Polyphia first started they were a We Came As Romans type Metalcore band with a Singer and Harsh Vocalist. My band at the time played with them quite a few times(this was in Dallas/Plano area when they were still just a local band) It wasn't a year in or so until they kicked their vocalist out and went instrumental only
I knew they had Japanese influence in the beginning of the song. Their guitar riffs sound similar to what is popular in the Japanese metal and deathcore scenes.
Can you list some bands from those scenes?
@@jakebergen1837 i only know one called Sailing before the Wind, and another one that Is more eletronic metalcore like i see stars, is called Fear and loathing in Las Vegas, they did the First opening for the Parasyte anime and the First ending for 2011's Hunter x Hunter version
That's why i weirdly liked this song despite not really liking polyphia even that much. I'm more an Ichika guy that prefers beautiful melodic phrases that don't have to be super ultra technical
@@TheDiamondBladeHD How do you not like Polyphia, they are the most amazing composers around right now!! Jk, we all like what we like, but man, I have never been so inspired to pick the guitar back up like I was when I heard Polyphia for the first time. Favorite band now, seeing them in Louisville in a couple months. Even if you don't like them, you have to admit Tim and Scott are some of the most amazing guitarists alive right now!
@@Lovell93 yeah, they really are without a doubt
I feel like this song is great evolution for Polyphia. Because they decided to take a step back on the guitar and leave space for someone to add their own vocal layer to the track. It’s great growth I think. And as Nick mentioned, I definitely see this as a TikTok song that could trend really well. Already I think I’ve listened to this song 50 times lol it’s great.
The fact they put the traditional Latin alphabet and the Japanese hiragana alphabet in the same song is amazing.
Sorry, katakana.
Hiragana was right, but they don't have alphabets, since that word comes from "alpha" and "beta", and the japanese characters don't come from greek
ok, this is exactly my shit. i hope this type of weirdo complicated/technical pop gets popular in the west also. it's about time
Any recommendations for something similar to this?
Yea agreed dude, i enjoyed this one so much, this song sounds like it was made by japanese band or japanese vocaloid producers
@@dahliasmiles7122 not exactly similar and not as guitar-centric, but I'd recommend to check out Tricot, Passepied and maybe Genie High.
@@dahliasmiles7122 give polkadot stingray, all of the band members are super talented
Im pretty sure thats what Polyphia is aiming for.
Just more marketing
The fact that they are open to having vocals shows they are able to put their ego aside. Most bands cannot do this let alone instrumental ones.
Most instrumental bands use vocals eventually lol. Also, polyphia had a vocalist before they went instrumental.
someone said before that they are the limp bizkit of modern prog in an Adam Neely video and ever since then I stopped listening to them after realizing the accuracy of the comment, but then I saw a reddit thread about it and someone said they are just in the middle of their evolution and honestly if this is the end of said evolution I won't be too mad
Ego has nothing to do with it. They've worked with vocalists before and even had a vocalist originally. But even if they hadn't, they've earned the right to have an ego. If anything their attitude has helped their music rather than held it back.
@@michaeltagor4238 you just admitted that you stopped listening to a band because of what someone else said? Lol
@@sentientcardboarddumpster7900 no? Never said I was loving them lol. I was only a casual listener of them before and after I stopped listening to them completely
I honestly love what Sophia was able to bring to Polyphia's instrumentals with this song
This is like an earworm... once you hear it, it's so catchy that it gets stuck in your head... but in a good way 🤣
@Koyote31 I don't know, sometimes I hear people say it...
Wait, that's a thing in other languages than German?
idk bro, i dont think id want a creepy little bug in my ear 😂
@@MellonVegan I think it is another way to say that a song is catchy...
@Koyote31 yeah I think they meant the expression "earworm" lol, an earwig is something else entirely... you don't want earwigs in there
Interesting that you mention eventual crossovers with this genre and mainstream pop- Ichika was actually recently credited as writing a song for Machine Gun Kelley
Then Ichika will lose fans like myself, due to many hating the guy since he's a creep/p*do
As in MGK*
Wait wtf, how did I not know this despite being subbed to ichika???
@@MaestroKatProductions he did a video on it- the song is 'More Than Life'
@@liamblack4840 obv I'm not very up to speed with the music the kids listen to, I didn't know he changed his stage name
Honestly, the ending gave me Electric Callboy vibes, and now I want a Polyphia/ Eskimo Callboy crossover.
Dude.... someone get on that and make it happen!
Hell no.
Not if Polyphia does this style.
Everyone just needs to colab with EC.
YES
It's a great combination since most pop singers are actually virtuosos in their own right. Combining the two worlds was a genius move
Fun fact, the Japanese in this song is also pretty much their abc's
The more I listen to this song the more it grows on me. Catchy af, the Clay's bass, in the beginning of the song especially, is incredibly funky, and the arrangement is just so tasty. Vocals were great with the style, and the video is just pure fun and I like that they don't take themselves too seriously.
I'm trying to learn the bassline right now. It's so much fun
There is no reason not to cover this since they gave you the tabs on the song lol.
I love it. It just fits their style so well.
It actually fits really well
6:00 Ichika is in a couple bands with vocals, he used to be in one I forget the name of (I think that band has vocals but I don't really remember) and now he's in a band called dios
Just be glad they didn't also throw French into the mix, because apparently Sophia is also fluent in French 😂
Sophia Black is part Japanese and fluent in it so that is part of the reasoning for the Japanese vocals
Here I was thinking to reach a broader audience they just opted to sing the alphabet in english and japanese but then this singer isnt the bridge to that wider audience so it being just a whim is more fitting.
can we also appreciate production/editing/mixing engineers' work on that track, as well as the rest of the album? that precision and lightness is incredible
NGL, this might be my favorite Polyphia song ever made. It's so fucking good and this makes me super hyped to hear the other vocal features on the new album. Another reason this band just continues to evolve and be unique.
I'm with you. This is my favourite song by them to date. No idea how that is even possible but here we are.
The killstation feature is what I’m looking forward too, guy is super unique sounding ! (Limbo by killstation and xxxtentacion is a good one to check out if you’re not familiar)
Bro same
Huh?
I'm beyond hyped for the $not feature. He's one of my favorite rappers and I can't wait to see what he does on that song.
I’m not sure if anyone has pointed it out, but the part she is singing in Japanese is all of the Hiragana syllables which is essentially the “Japanese alphabet” if you want to think about it that way. So not only is she singing the English alphabet, but also the Japanese one as well!
I could listen to this song a thousand times in a row. It just has a perfect structure and her vocals do suit the band as well.
I think if we always got an instrumental version as well, I would be okay with more vocals. It is very different and took a bit to warm up to, but it does work well and if that is what they want to do I'm curious to see how far they can take it.
Agree. I'm sure this album will have an instrumental version. I'd bet on it. Maybe as time goes on though, they might make some songs that just wouldn't really hit well without the vocals and not have instrumental versions.
Currently studying Japanese and had a hard time for months learning the hiragana. This song and Sophia made me learn it in 2 days...
Check out ajatt
You missed one of the best comments ever below that music video.
"How can their entire rhythm section be so solid when it's entirely made of Clay"
...
When Tim did the in the cut video it absolutely blew my mind, and absolutely convinced me their music has to have vocals, it just sounds so well and complements each other so well
She's just saying the Alphabeth in Japanese as well. it's not actually making sense verbally, it just sounds unexpectedly good, like anything Polyphia does.
2011-2012 polyphia also has vocals, go search Resurrect EP with Vocals. And 2018 ofc, with Cuco, the track "So Strange".
We might have just seen the start of a new genre here. Nik, I'm totally with you bro. These guys have such pop elements in their music and yet so awesome. We'll probably see them at the Grammy's pretty soon.
I loved this so much, thank you!!!!!
2:05 that view remind me with one of Polyphia song from 2016 called “Crush”
What could I say is that this is the proof of their growth to be more versatile than ever. You took out the vocals, it's still a legit polyphia tunes. With vocal, it's a fresher take for their artistic direction without the feeling it's been forced out to be a heavy pop oriented song. Really shows how great their musicality grows every releases. I want to expect the unexpected in the future album!
Polyphia and vocals works so damn well and I hope they get more guest vocals because this was sooo freaking sick 🤘
The album drops October 28th and has 7 songs with vocal features, and one song featuring Steve Vai.
This song introduced me to Sophia Black too. I'm a former pop music listener turned metalcore/deathcore/progressive/etc music lover who will not listen to pop since it is super generic and boring.
Nothing has changed. Pop music is still boring to me yet not generic. Polyphia adding in a vocalist to their collab feature has always sent me away since I became a fan of theirs. I get the same ole guitar/drum/bass greatness from the bois, plus a cool vocal feature. Cuco joined them in their last album with their song So Strange. It's a very good song. I also discovered Cuco through Polyphia.
These men some how rally pop artists into working with them. Allowing the pop artists to do their thing while Polyphia does Polyphia things.... And it just works each time!!! Huge props to the musicianship each of these men have within the band to create such an organically feeling blend of two worlds
To be fair it’s radio Pop that’s boring just like anything else on the radio including radio rock and radio rap etc. Top 40 has always been trash but there’s some pretty wild experimental pop out there that’s way closer to this and it’s just pop in the sense of style and chord choices.
SOPHIE for example is wild hyperpop that bleeds into experimental Elecrronic and it’s anything but boring lol
@@swarthygiant1463 Yup, pop for me IS hyperpop. I can listen to the occasional catchy radio song, there’s a lot of good ariana grande songs etc., but it’s artists like Sophie, brakence, underscores, charli xcx, 100 gecs and glaive that keep me going. Also Aries never misses, not hyperpop though, but worth mentioning.
@@swarthygiant1463 you're completely right! I do find sub sections of pop to be great and not boring!! For the sake of showing how much of a difference between my take on pop as a whole to this song and my attitude towards pop is, I generalized all of pop music into one
@@Djitterbug I will be listening to Aries c: thanks for the subtle music rec
ratio
"I just learned the alphabet through polyphia, 2022"
-Nik Nocturnal 2022
I was waiting for Nik's face when the vocals came on lmao
tbf there is another mostly Polythia track with vocals, they did provide some guitar work for Babymetal's last album (Title is Brand New Day) which also sounds very Polythia with vocals
I was really looking forward to your reaction to this song. It's brilliant, completely different than anything they've done before but after few listens I fell in love with it.
Definitely an anime OP for sure
Now this, this man right here should be the official reactor for Polyphia and everything Tim Henson related.
Honestly at this point, I think Polyphia could make a Bluegrass/Black Metal fusion and it would still sound amazing.
What's even "Bluegrass"?
@@matthewpunk2012 it’s like country^2
Polyphia/Panopticon collab, when?
Blve
@@matthewpunk2012 Bluegrass is the metal of the country world.
It is kinda funny, cause Neurotica I didn't vibe with immediately (I do now), but with this one I couldn't resist moving to the groove. This song is very danceable and happy, which I believe is the point.
this is just like when Kerry Eurodyne collabed with the Us cracks XD
I really hope this is gonna blow up on the radios and shit. This band is so damn technical and good that I really dont mind that they made "poppy commercial" music and the fucking deserve to be known
It's interesting to say the least, I hope this song is the one that gets them the breakthrough they've been looking for
They headlined a soldout tour, so it's safe to say that they've had their "breakthrough"
@@kingvarien he means like main stream main stream though
@@kingvarien mainstream bro. Mainstream.
@@nukewurld Why would you want them to be "mainstream"? You want them to have features with Cardi B and Justin Bieber?
@@kingvarien nope, want them to have the success they deserve and bring their style to the masses. Mainstream doesn't mean whatever you just said
the band's genre is so good that they may not need a permanent vocalist, if they only collaborate with singers it will be amazing too.
Sophia Black is half(?) Japanese, hence the Japanese lyrics. But even those "lyrics" in the hook are just Japanese syllabary in Katakana. The other part before that in the background is going on about how good looking her crush is in the narrative.
Lol it's actually crazy no one has got this yet, it's not Japanese syllabary in katakana, it's literally the hiragana alphabet, or the equivalent of abcdefg in Japanese.
@@Legaliaaa Ah whoops, I put on hold trying to learn the writing systems a while ago. But they still are syllabaries regardless. It's not completely analogous to an alphabet, but you're right in the sense that it serves as the equivalent one.
@@BarstucksCoffee Yeah Hiragana is the phonetic alphabet
She’s trilingual ;) English, French, and Japanese
ひりがな。カタカナではありません。
To me this song was very hyper-pop. The fast paced side of it with Sophias poppy vocals. I could see PinkPantheress on a song like this, that would be a crazy collab.
“Did they just film a tiktok?” Yesn’t?
They did this perfectly. We knew they were heading in this direction. Its great.
What’s crazier is the actual lyrics themselves. I was too focused on the guitar to realize what the lyrics were about💀
Based on the way their songs are written, it isn't much of a surprise that they are starting to include vocals. Even amongst all the chaos of a thousand licks, they always manage to have clear and catchy melodies in all of their songs
Should check out their song with cuco from a few years back its also pretty good with vocals
It's so strange
@@christopherlane6372 yee
@@theirishpotato6588 yee
But cuco only sing a few lines tho
@@rajut_lensa that's fine tho. A very solid feature nonetheless
I would love this to play on mainstream radio stations. That was masterful pop and deserves to be up there with Bad Bunny and Posty.
Damn if only radio pop was like this
Who listens to the radio anymore?
@@2m7b5 people driving
2:28 They actually had a chart made for the whole song, not just the solo.
This whole video felt so much like a Japanese commercial, that the Japanese vocals didn't even surprise me. It more or less confirmed where they got their inspiration from XD
it’s different but also feels so so right
Bruh this is 2000s disney show music and you can't change my mind
Fuckin love polyphia. Love the reactions as always
the tabs and the clone hero chart is what drew me to this and its absolutely a banger
Let's see the cover Nik. I've got faith in your skills man. You can do it
She was just reciting the Japanese alphabet, she wasn’t actually speaking Japanese.
I can't say I would ever choose to listen to this, that said, I commend the creativity. I think this applies to every Polyphia song for me.
When Tim is doing his solo, he's also getting BERRIED ALIVE
I will once again buy the tabs and still not be able to play it as a loyal polyphia fan lmao
The tabs are just memorabilia at this point
@@jamalecar4790 true lol only merch I need, I like looking at the funny numbers
Just frame and hang it.. sophisticated art bro
i feel personally attacked lmao
@@MannyDelara1 it's ok there's a lot of us lol
This should be the future of pop music
If there’s any band that can make the fusion between rock with pop or rap it’s polyphia. I really think they will bring a new wave of rock
It's a fun song, but most likely a novelty and not the start of a "new wave" of anything
@@fclefjefff4041 I was talking about polyphia as a whole, not this song. If anything this song could work as an entry barrier for people who like pop music
You're not making any sense. An "entry barrier" would be something that blocks or prevents entry 😄
And this kind of math-rock (or whatever you choose to call it) is never going to become popular among the general population. It appeals to guitar nerds shredding in their bedrooms and that's about it. I know you think Polyphia are going to save the world, but to the average person their music is mildly interesting at best.
@@fclefjefff4041 my mistake, I meant to say “entry to the barrier”.
And it’s not math rock lol since this is all standard time.
I am not disagreeing with you but you’re making assumptions based on what I said and that’s not wrong to think that way, but it comes off as a little close minded.
I don’t think they will “save the world”, if you need me to spell it out for you to understand so you don’t make any assumptions then it’s like this:
I think polyphia will bring a new wave rock through the fusion of pop music and/or rap music in the music mainstream music scene. (Very important to note I used the words “I think”, which means that it’s not fact but just my opinion)
And that’s fine if the average person thinks it’s mildly interesting, if the average person knows about them that means they have made the breakthrough they deserved. If the mainstream audience labels them as the weird instrumental band that blends genres so be it, as long as they keep making bangers and music that they like. And myself I’m a bassist, I don’t really care much for the guitar but I can see their incredible skill and usually what makes me stay is their bass lines, they’re just sexy to me
That was an insane track! The entire band was absolutely insane on this track yet kind of surprising, I really didn't expect them to make some fast-paced music (especially since I haven't listened to them a lot, I know they've done some metalcore stuff but I only really listened to some of their math rock stuff). And damn the vocalist isn't the most powerful vocalist of all time but she did an insane job, I can't think of anyone else who could've got the job done but her (or Ariana Grande maybe, but I think Sophia's voice fits this style better)
Random fun fact: it seems she is half-japanese, which could explain why she switched to the japanese alphabet during the song
I'm sorry but PLEASE give us Post Malone x Polyphia
This has become my FAVORITE Polyphia song.
This singer fits perfectly...with her i feel like Tim gets what he wanted basically...it would be good for them having songs like this and 1/3 of the album with only instrumentals
Word.
Aged very well
FYI yes Ichika does work with pop artist in a band you can see him in both Dios and Ichikoro
One of my favorite songs that they've released, so much fun to listen to. Been stuck in my head all day not gonna lie.
There are some other WTFs in ABC's video not mentioned in THIS video, like the bright-pink goat head (is it? I had to pause and zoom in to realize what I was looking at) on the wheel (goat, get it?) and the split second there with Sophia and that half-naked dude on the cliff in which Sophia is switched for LePage wearing Sohpia's blouse and grinning ear-to-ear at the camera with a rose in his teeth for model dude's surprise.
if you like this one, check out their song So Strange (Feat Cuco) from their New Levels New Devils album, it also has guest vocals and is super catchy
Brian Bowles
23 hours ago
It's not Polyphia's first release with vocals - So Strange (feat. Cuco) on New Levels comes to mind. But it is their best release with vocals. Having heard Tim Hensosn talk about his pop and hip hop influnces, coupled with his collaboration with Luke Holland, covering BTS' 'Butter', I'm not surprised to see them release a pop song. When I saw the track list from RTYWD released a month or so ago and saw Sophia Black featured, I looked her up. After checking out her bio, I pegged this track to be a pop song.
I think Polyphia is best thing happening in music right now. I love their roots, but also that they aren't boxing themselves into a niche genre. They have the creative chops to take a pop song and maintain the musical identitiy that makes them instantly recognizable and great. This tune has hooks galore and is pure ear candy.
I have a feeling we haven't heard the last genre crossover from them. I agree with Nik - I can imagine them being featured on future tracks from mainstream pop artists like Posty and Ariana Grande, etc.. ABC may be their sales pitch to do just that. Wouldn't it be great to see them performing with a pop artist on the VMAs or something? How better to broaden their exposure and share their talent with new fans?
Great reaction as always Nik
Crazy how you watched an 8min video in 30sec
Polyphia just got a lot more interesting with vocals now. You now have an idea of how crazy awesome Polyphia can be if there are vocals and not their original style without vocals.
I was astonished by how pop oriented this track was. It reminded me of a cross between PC Music and their weird hyper-produced pitch shifting singles and something Olivia Rodrigo would do. I agree that this is different from what they normally do even compared to other tracks on this upcoming album but it seems like they are trying to branch out and draw in new fans from outside of the rock listener demographic. I think your comment that this is going to be a TikTok song will probably be accurate, the music video has enough WTF to get replicated and meme'd. Despite it being an obvious attempt to attract pop music listeners it doesn't feel like pandering to me since all of the guys in Polyphia are relatively young and fit into that mid to late 20s (early 30s) demographic of terminally online social media personalities. The inclusion of guitar tab and guitar hero as well as the whole video being a parody of ads really feels like they know who they are trying to attract with this single. Its also weirdly ear-wormy. I watched it once and was entertained, I know how it stuck in my head, it creeps up on you.
Fun fact. Polyphia is from my home town. They used to be prog and had a vocalist. RUclips polyphia first ep with vocals. Should pop up with a blue image of the polyphia logo.
Polyphia with vocals? You mean...Unprocessed?
No but seriously.
Fr lol
True
THANK YOU. I was looking for this comment so bad. Criminal how underrated Unprocessed is among Polyphia's listeners. Just my opinion but the vocals make Unprocessed way better for me, especially listening to them for a while. I get bored of Polyphia after a few songs but I could listen to Unprocessed all day long.
@@XxNoMErcY99xX same here. Unprocessed just has a little more to offer. Polyphia is too accessible for my particular taste. Animals As Leaders is more my style in terms of instrumental.
This has to be one of my favorite songs, it’s catchy, goofy and just an all around vibe.
Honestly surprised they havent went full pop with their style. Was expecting that fully leading up to this album release. While the first two single didn't meet that expectation it will be interesting to see their other cuts off it.
"Neurotica" was kinda underwhelming imo, but this sh*t is fire
Legit asking how could you ever find playing god underwhelming
Everything they've released for this album is hot dogshit.
Tim and Scott collaborated with BABYMETAL for Brand New Day, that already was like listening Polyphia with vocals😅. Anyway, yes this is brilliant and so funny! 🤘🦊⚡️
I wonder if they would ever bring on a vocalist full time
I feel like they’d only ever do what producers do and have featured vocals across an album. But then you have for instance Flume who brings in Kucka like all the time and so she gets kind of associated as the “flume voice”.
The track list for Polyphia 4 is out and it has a ton of different vocals including Chino from Deftones
@@swarthygiant1463 dude that sounds amazing
Idk part of me wants to see that but at the same time people really like being able to listen to and appreciate just the instrumentals. Honestly though, it could also be what gives them big commercial success.
Tim once said they will not gonna get permanent vocalist but gonna do collabs with vocalist/singer and rappers instead
Nooooooo chill
Nik slowing his mind is a beautiful thing to watch
Polyphia would be sick with a female vocalist permanently
There was one portion in Japanese that I don’t understand (cuz I don’t speak it) but most of the Japanese was her going though the Japanese syllables - the equivalent of her going through the English alphabet sounds in the English portion