An EP You'll Love to Death

I don't know what it is about reviewing TGS's latest PV that's got me going on all these morbid puns! But oh well, this is Bellring Shoujo Heart's Killer Killer EP!

Bellring Shoujo Heart sure likes their extended plays, don't they? This is like the 5th EP they've released! Well, as long as those EPs have good music on them, I'm perfectly happy! As I have expressed in the past, Bellring Shoujo Heart is a group that I'd like to get more into. They've got cool music and a weird, unconventional image, much like BiS if BiS were inspired by 1960s rock and alternative. And some of their music can get so delightfully creepy! I can't wait until October comes around; then I'll really feel like listening to Bellring Shoujo Heart. Anyways, this is their latest single, Killer Killer EP. As none of the songs have PVs (that I know of), I've opted to review the entire single. And why not review the whole single? Killer Killer EP's has got three songs on it that are all worth talking about! So keep your eyes above the ground, because we are going six feet under into Bellring Shoujo Heart's Killer Killer EP!

Covers/Outfits

Killer Killer EP's cover isn't quite as colorful as Untouchable EP's was. But I like the black/white/red color scheme and the way the girls are posed too. They look like they're reaching toward the camera like zombies! All they need is some fake blood and they can re-enact Night of the Living Dead! I noticed that Bellring Shoujo Heart has six members. Or is it seven? I know they have one international member who's having trouble securing a visa. I guess she couldn't make it for the jacket shooting of this cover. Well, everyone else looks adorable. In fact, I've noticed Bellring Shoujo Heart has a tendency to look very adorable, even when they're performing they're creepier/weirder songs. I have to say, it kind of works. It works on the cover for Killer Killer EP at least!

Crimson Horizon

The first song on Killer Killer EP is a song that's pretty much what you'd expect from Shoujo Heart. It's alternative rock that sounds like it's from the sixties, bad vocal production and all! Crimson Horizon was the song on Killer Killer EP that took the longest to grow on me. I didn't think it was a terrible song when I first heard it, but I did feel like I'd heard it in other Bellring Shoujo Heart songs before. And I probably have. Crimson Horizon reminds me most of Bokura no Wednesday and yOU Rari from their Bedhead album. Luckily though, Crimson Horizon isn't a carbon copy of either song. And I actually think the production quality is a little better on Crimson Horizon than it's been on other songs! I don't have the ear for sound mixing as well as other people do, but when the girls sing individually, they sound clearer. Then they sing together, and that fuzzy vocal quality comes back. I think that may have to do partially with the way they're singing though. I wonder if that's how sixties girl bands sang. Sixties girl bands were a thing, right? I hope so. I know that there's one girl band that was formed that was so terrible that they became ironically good. Wouldn't it be something if Bellring Shoujo Heart paid an homage to that band?

Back to Crimson Horizon, I think it's a good song. Not my favorite from Bellring Shoujo Heart, but it has a cool melody, especially in the chorus. Some of those high notes are a little too strained for my liking, but that's the price you pay when you get into idol music. Crimson Horizon shows how remarkably consistent Bellring Shoujo Heart is with their sound. Even though it sounds similar to a few of their other songs, it's still enjoyable. And for me, a song can sound similar to another song as long as both songs are good. And with BiS disbanding, I find that I'm slowly gravitating toward Bellring Shoujo Heart. I think it's some sort of coping mechanism. Admittedly, I can't think of much else to say about Crimson Horizon. If you don't like Bellring Shoujo Heart, then this song isn't going to win you over. But if you are curious about their general sound, then Crimson Horizon may be a good starter. It perfectly captures the messy psychedelic rock sound of the sixties that Bellring Shoujo Heart emanates so well. I think Crimson Heart grows on you the more you listen to it, and the sound becomes more memorable. Even if you can't bring yourself to like this song, you've gotta admit that is one killer song name. It sounds like a nail polish or a horror movie.



Despite the awesome name, I think I'll still give Crimson Horizon 4 apples. It's a good song, but not the greatest I've heard from Bellring Shoujo Heart. That doesn't mean I won't listen to it in the future! It's a pretty fun sixties-style song. It could have been a little trippier though!

Plastic 21g

After the slightly lackluster Crimson Horizon, Plastic 21g grabbed me with that opening riff. And then the girls started singing, and Plastic 21g held my attention with an iron fist. I think what I love most about Plastic 21g is that it has a very interesting vocal structure. The song is in minor key, and the way the girls sing is slightly creepy. Not super creepy though, but I think if you rearranged the instrumental, Plastic 21g has the potential to be unleaded nightmare fuel. The vocals also have some very catchy hooks, especially in the chorus. The way the girls hold out those end notes just makes them stick in your head somehow. The vocals aren't the only interesting thing about Plastic 21g though; the instrumental is really neat too. There are a lot of different sounds and instruments that the producer dabbled into with Plastic 21g. There's the usual psychedelic guitars and drums that creep into every Bellring Shoujo Heart song, but I also hear a lot of different percussion like a xylophone to some softer instruments as well. And then at the end of the song, this random male voice gets sampled! I'm not sure whose it is or what language it's in. It kind of sounds like it was taken from an old Western film, but I could very well be wrong. Maybe it's Bellring Shoujo Heart's producer!

I will admit I'm a little split on the sampling at the end, but I think it's grown on me over time. It's just when the first time you hear those deeper vocals, it comes off as a bit of a shock. But I like the build-up towards the end of Plastic 21g. As the song progresses, you get more and more different sounds and samples. The final result is something that is a little bit clustered but nonetheless interesting. I guess my one complaint about Plastic 21g would be that at parts, it does feel like there's a little too much going on in it. But Plastic 21g mostly remains messy in a way that works. At the end of the day, too much instrumentation doesn't take away from my enjoyment of Plastic 21g. It could be a music producer's dream or nightmare, but to me, it makes the song cool. I actually wonder which song will get a music video (if any of them) off of Killer Killer EP. I'd actually like if Plastic 21g was the song that got a music video. I think the song is crazy enough that a crazy, random music video would match perfectly with the song. I mean, c.a.n.d.y. got a music video even though it wasn't the first song off of Untouchable EP so who knows? I can hope for Plastic 21g! Even if it remains PV-less, Plastic 21g is still a pretty awesome song, even if it's a bit overwhelming at times.



I was caught between 5 and 4.5 for Plastic 21g, but I did end up going with 4.5 It's a great song, it really is, but as I said before, there are a few parts that could have been cleaned up. But as always, I am all for experimentation in idol music and the experimental sound of Plastic 21g is highly entertaining to listen to.

kUMA GOQLI

Okay, did Bellring Shoujo Heart's producer just mash a bunch keys together and say, "Okay, that sounds like a cool title!" and call it a day? Because I don't think kUMA GOQLI is a real word in English or any other language. How would you even pronounce that??? Well, after the two energetic songs on this EP, kUMA GOQLI calms things down. I wouldn't say this song's a ballad, but it's a very chill song. It kind of reminds me of The Velvet Underground's Sunday Morning. But kUMA GOQLI is nowhere near as chill as Sunday Morning. Many songs aren't. I was actually thinking that kUMA GOQLI was going to speed up and get noisier and more energetic toward the middle. But for the most part, the song retained its laid-back atmosphere. There's a brief crescendo in the bridge, but it's not much of an increase. I actually like having this song last on Killer Killer EP, since it's like the denouement after the rising action and climax in a story. kUMA GOQLI is a short song, but I feel like the length is just right. I'm glad the producer didn't decide to drag the song out and make it a full ballad; I think that would have made the song lose some replay value.

There's some cool stuff done in this song too! For instance, something I liked was the producer mixed a lot of chatter from the girls of Bellring Shoujo Heart into this song and even a little bit of laughter. It should have come off as very creepy, but it's actually kind of calming. It sounds very much like normal chatter from teenage girls to my ears, but maybe it means something creepy in Japanese. Who knows? They just sound so soft and relaxed, it makes for a very relaxing effect. The producer was also rocking that theremin in the song, which again, should have made the song sound creepier. Like many other Bellring Shoujo Heart songs, kUMA GOQLI sounds like it belongs in the sixties. Probably the drug side of the sixties, I could see counterculture hippies high on pot listening to this song. Vivid image I know but still, I could! Luckily, I don't need narcotics to enjoy kUMA GOQLI. It's another effortlessly cool Bellring Shoujo Heart song. What makes kUMA GOQLI stand out is that it is such a calm song, coming after the two more hectic songs on Killer Killer EP. I guess I could say that kUMA GOQLI kills those two other songs that closes the coffin on this single. And also closes the coffin on my puns, because that was terrible.



Yeah, I'll give the final song on Killer Killer EP 5 apples. Despite the short length, kUMA GOQLI is a cool, chill song that you should listen to if you wanna chill. And that's pretty much the last I can say about it, now let's see how all three of these songs hold up together!

The Verdict

So are you guys still alive? If so, I'm disappointed! That was not what Killer Killer EP was supposed to do! Whether Killer Killer EP is as killer as the title lets on, I enjoyed this single! Probably a bit more than I did Untouchable EP (although I liked that single too!). I'm glad that Bellring Shoujo Heart's producer decided not to included another remix on this single. I like having entirely new content much better! The three songs that were included on Killer Killer EP I all liked to varying degrees. Crimson Horizon was the weakest song on the album, but even then, that was still a pretty good song that stayed true to Bellring Shoujo Heart's sound. Plastic 21g was definitely the funkiest of the three singles and tried a lot of different sounds. Those sounds didn't always work, but they did leave a lasting impression. And then kUMA GOQLI was the perfect song to close the EP, a nice combination of trippy and soothing. I think what I like most about Killer Killer EP is the contrast between these three songs. They all sound so different from each other. If you want to listen to a slow song, there's kUMA GOQLI. If you want something weirder and more experimental, there's Plastic 21g. And if you just want traditional Bellring Shoujo Heart, there's Crimson Horizon.

This single has such a great variety of sounds and styles that stay true to Bellring Shoujo Heart's musical style. So overall, I am mostly pleased with Killer Killer EP. It's a strong consistent single that'll leave you dying for more Bellring Shoujo Heart music. If you like there style, that is. Like with all their other music, their production quality can be a little... off-putting to a new listener. There production isn't polished like a lot of other idol groups, even the more unconventional ones. It's very messy and that can be a turn-off for some fans. For me though, it's grown on me, and I'm okay with it. Killer Killer EP has all the sixties sounds combined with idols that make me enjoy Bellring Shoujo Heart so much. It marks another consistent, highly enjoyable, and interesting release from Bellring Shoujo Heart as well! I do wonder when the group will release their next album. As of now, they've released two singles since Bedhead. I could see them releasing one more single than making an album. Whenever that is, I'll be waiting and trying my best to keep up with their releases. I think with BiS's disbandment date growing closer and closer, I've been gravitating to Bellring Shoujo Heart more.

Even on their own though, Bellring Shoujo Heart still stands as an interesting, unconventional idol group! So I think I'll give Killer Killer EP 4.5 apples. 4.5 apples to die for. Seriously, for all you know, I poisoned those virtual apples. But don't let that deter you from checking out Bellring Shoujo Heart's latest single, especially if you're into BiS. It's like listening to an idol group if it came from the sixties in the form of a girl band. Seriously, can sixties girl bands be more a thing in modern media please?