Frost Children and Haru Nemuri’s ‘Soul Kiss’ begs you to be yourself

One of the most exciting and intriguing collaborations of the year basks in the absurdity of it all.

Picture this: two artists that have both been working only relatively recently in their respective scenes venture out into the unknown, fighting against the current. These artists battle with their identities, past fickle language barriers and against scenes which are either dying or moving too quickly. How does one get past these struggles in order to make something truly great? You do it by being authentically and confidently  yourself — no matter what. 

Frost Children — Lulu and Angel Prost — have always been unique. Even inside the internally combusting hyperpop niche in the early years of this decade — they have stood out — jumping from fidget house, to bombastic alternative rock and jittering electropop.  To them, being unique is not just about being different from the person next to you in line — to the Prost siblings — it’s an active process. This process is something familiar to the up and coming Japanese musical auteur: Haru Nemuri. The now 29-year old musician has been through two album cycles, each one a tiring exercise in pushing what constitutes “pop music” in the current musical-landscape. Many confuse Nemuri’s genre mish-mash with experimentalism — when she’s just making music that expresses herself authentically. 

“Soul Kiss” operates not in two different languages, but two different modes of expression. Angel, Lulu and Haru let loose on these tracks their insecurities but also their qualms with a world that does not understand them. [Cry baby, cry, cry, your crocodile tears/Save me, spare me, the words/Bye baby, bye, bye, you're facing my fears/Save me, spare me the worthlessness,] Angel sings on “Bad Thing.” Prost does not want your pity, she doesn’t want your worry and she especially doesn’t want your apologies. Not even just in the political minefield of today when it comes to bodily autonomy (“you’re facing my fears,”) Prost is throwing away the overbearing burden of artistic integrity — (“spare me the worthlessness.”) 

Let’s talk about the vivid soundscape of “Soul Kiss” for a moment. “Daijoubu desu” starts off the album with blaring synth hits, striking, almost staccato vocal inflections by Angel and dizzying production effects on-top of it all. It’s an approach that is not unfamiliar to both Frost Children and Haru Nemuri, however, what is different here is the intertwining of these two distinct yet similar styles. The contrasting vocal melodies on the different segments on “Bad Thing” is an example of this. The electronic elements on the first Frost Children verse come in and exude a definitive confidence that almost make you recoil. The chorus and second set of instrumentation — this time the guitars — come in and throw you back into the fiery pit that is the fourth track of “Soul Kiss.” 

“Daijoubu Desu” and “Burn” — the first two tracks on the EP — come out swinging in full force. The electro-house and new rave worship is not out of the ordinary for Frost Children, but this is almost completely new territory for Nemuri. Rather than taking a backseat with the action in the first couple songs, Nemuri jumps in with her hip-hop stylings and adds an interesting edge to the openers. The EP is only five tracks, and if the first two tracks hit you like this, do the last couple of tracks continue this trend? The short answer is no. The long answer is: it does something even better. 

Haru Nemuri’s punk persona, mixed with Frost Children’s electronic prowess, make for a great indie-electronic new rave EP, what strikes me personally though, is how kick-ass the ending is. The last minute-and-a-half of “Bad Thing” dauntingly leap into a dramatic call-and-response guitar solo which then bleeds into deep and murky shoegaze. This dredge of noise-y guitar envelopes the whole track in a darker ambience, but then, “Get Well Soon” kicks in. 

Ruminating after a job well done, saying goodbye to a love lost, feeling accomplished and complete… all are energies and feelings that the ending track, “Get Well Soon” exudes. Think of the closing scene in any Wes Anderson film: a solemn yet upbeat final hurrah — often in slow-motion. It’s a great closer to a great EP, I cannot wait to see what these two incredibly talented artists tackle next.

[“You gave me soul!/Soul!”] … Lulu Prost on “Get Well Soon.