QUBIT’s 9BIT Review - Better than expected
The first album to come from DAOKO’s new project, QUBIT. The album being appropriately named 9BIT (a play on words which sounds similar to the band’s name in Japanese), features 9 songs - 6 being brand new and one being an album mix.
As the first album from the band, I was pretty skeptical of the songs I’d be hearing, since the first couple of singles from them didn’t really resonate with me and felt a bit too out nowhere for me, however I’m glad to say that this album features a wide array of songs, from the energetic Mr. Sonic, to the dark distorted rumbles of Distant Dance.
This album has a lot of experimental tracks that can feature anywhere from little plucks in the bass to vocal effects being thrown everywhere throughout the song, hell, sometimes even the melodies don’t make sense - giving this album a very chaotic, erratic, and indie feel, but still working well as a commercial release.
For those who have kept up with DAOKO’s other works, this album feels a lot like a successor to the 2020 album Anima, although this album is much more cohesive and consistent with the quality and style it’s trying to portray (thankfully).
In the end I feel like this album definitely won’t be for everyone, or even people who like DAOKO’s 2014-2019 works, it’s its own thing derived from the same idea that DAOKO’s 2020 works were based on… ‘slap anything up there and see what sticks!’
Now, onto the actual song ratings…
Big Mouth 3.5/5 - it’s a nice intro song, but doesn’t do much on its own.
G.A.D - 3.5/5 - the debut song from QUBIT, it’s a bit too ‘weird’ and erratic for me. Still enjoyable but definitely gave me a very iffy first impression.
Mr. Sonic 5/5 - released as a promo single for the album and is probably the strongest song they’ve made so far. All of the chaos and sampling really work in their favor for this one, my only complaint is the outro is very abrupt.
Wonder World 3.5-4/5 - the harmonies and chord progression are very nice in this particular song, there’s not much more to say on it but it’s definitely worth a listen!
Distant Dance 4.5/5 - a very dark and grungy song with melodic moments that DAOKO really lends a hand to. Definitely one of the more standout songs from here.
Fast Life (album mix) 4/5 - this song feels less like a qubit song and more like a solo release from DAOKO. With a happy tone, heavy rapping and it being surprisingly safe with how it uses vocal sampling and unconventional methods. Not to say any of this is bad, I really enjoyed this song, and I’m glad that some of the songs here aren’t all over the place. The album mix doesn’t really add anything, more or less just rebalances some stuff - definitely more of a remaster if anything.
Room Tour Complex 4/5 - this track is either standout or bland depending on who you are. This song features glitchy vocals with the lyrics being a bit more standout than others and a very nice melody to follow. Along with some nice “oohs” during the chorus which makes this a very charming song.
Neon Diver 4/5 - a very melodic and mellow track, being a bit more minimalistic than the others. The synths have a very “poppy” feel to it with a pretty prominent and grooved bass. Her vocals feel really smooth in this song with a slightly longing melody paired with it. I feel like we could’ve gotten a bit more of a bridge for this song rather than the very short break in it but that’s my complaint.
Beautiful Days 4/5 - a very atmospheric, anthemic, and slightly psychedelic track that does a very good job leading out the album and summarizing what QUBIT actually is. A mix of different genres that lend themselves whenever and wherever. I love how upbeat this track is.
Overall album rating: 4/5 - absolute banger of an album and I love the new ideas that they’re experimenting with. Here’s hoping they keep trying new things!
Stream: https://qubit.lnk.to/9bit
Mr. Sonic official MV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQfRyJ2v5RY
Official website: https://columbia.jp/qubit/
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