Lolita Dark – Queen’s Decade (Review)

J-Rock Reviews

Lolita Dark
Queen’s Decade

Review by David Cirone

JRock247-Lolita-Dark-Queens-Decade

Lolita Dark’s second album Queen’s Decade is a solid follow up to 2012’s Tokyo Status. The band has grown stronger with increased contributions from keyboardist/vocalist May and some sharp guitar from Patrick Cabrera, but the powerhouse of the band is still guitarist/vocalist Rayko. Sharply-produced and high-energy, the album’s first half is where Queen’s Decade hits its stride. From opening “Me Me Me” straight through to “SK9” and “Talk To You Later,” you can see the band is well on its way to crystallizing its identity.

A few songs come off sounding like the product of a totally different band. Tracks like “State of Emergency” and “Ugh, the Crap” are well-written, but their tone comes in sideways and they interrupt the album’s otherwise smooth flow. Japanese lyrics are a real pleasure on title track “Queen’s Decade” and on “Ano Toki wa Mada”. Queen’s Decade stamps Lolita Dark as a band to watch, and after seeing them live at Tekko 2014 earlier this month, I have the feeling the next album will bring them even closer to a focused approach.