HAMIDASYSTEM is an alternative idol group from Japan, focusing on themes of space rock, pop, electronica and elements of post-hardcore. Their first album release, “down” is a fantastic way to engage their resurrection.

HAMIDASYSTEM started with four different members than it currently has, Beet, Ameba, Flame, and Soda. Those four members left the group and three of them (Ameba, Flame, and Soda) formed a different group called CROSSNOESIS. However, this left HAMIDASYSTEM in a state of flux. Whether or not the group was going to persevere and continue was up in the air. Then the announcement came that two new members joined the group, She and Me. Shortly after their joining, HAMIDASYSTEM released their first full-length album, “down.”

The album can best be described as the same, but different. It’s reminiscent of the tone and sound of the former group, containing the other members, but at the same time it’s not. It’s its own thing, and a thing, mind you, that is hard to explain really. Their music isn’t really confined to one genre, it encompasses multiple genres and they all come together form to be HAMIDASYSTEM. Officially they call themselves “melodic electronica music,” and while that is a great description, it also doesn’t fully capture it. It’s a group that doesn’t have to hide behind the shackles of societal genre norms. HAMIDASYSTEM is HAMIDASYSTEM,

The album begins with a very dreamy rock pop song of sorts, and really pulls you into the world of HAMIDASYSTEM. It has all the moments you will expect from the album, slow parts, faster parts, odd parts. In addition, you get a sneak peek what the vocal range of the two girls are. The interesting about this group is that Me is a veteran to the scene (formerly in MIGMA SHELTER as their sub leader), where as She is a newcomer, but you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They both pull the same weight, and each have a unique thing to bring to the group. The decision to make this group two instead of four was a fantastic choice, especially with these two girls. They really play well off of each other.

This album does contain some songs that were originally performed by the previous group. Out of the 12 songs on the album, three of the songs are older, with the rest being completely new for the new group. Of the older songs, “S” is a stand out. It has such a unique sound that it is really hard to describe. Unfortunately with a lot of HAMIDASYSTEM songs they have to be heard to fully realized. Another one of the older songs, “夢うつつにキスをして” contains a section akin to modern bass-driven electronic music. It reminds me a lot of artists like Amon Tobin or Eskmo.

The title track “down” is likely the song that fully encapsulates their genre as a whole. The song that precedes it, “solid” is a short instrumental track that sets you up for “down.” The title track has a fantastic walking bass, and excellent melodies. The guitar in this song is so off key that it just works. It’s there, but it doesn’t follow the tempo at all. The whole song feels like a chaotic harmonization of elements that on their own don’t work, but form together to make something amazing.

Another track worth mentioning is “黄昏の君.” This is where some of the elements of post-hardcore come into play. Despite being such a nebulous genre as it is, this song really nails the aspect of odd time signatures, and excellent droughts of airy-ness that you can expect from the more avant-garde post-hardcore songs. This song also a very grungy dark bass line that permeates the track. That’s the issue with this group, nothing wants to settle to be in one genre, everything has to be all over the place, but that’s the beauty of HAMIDASYSTEM. They just don’t care, and it works.

The unfortunate thing about HAMIDASYSTEM is that it is hard to review, without saying to obvious. This album is really good. Every song is worth a listen, but as to why, well that’s where have to listen to it for yourself. Overall, this album is an excellent restart for the group that for a long time had people worried that they would just disappear. The two new girls, She and Me, are on track to take HAMIDASYSTEM to a new level.