5A5T Special: iri - Shade Review
Before her return on Wednesday, we take a look back at iri's 2019 album "Shade"
You can tell when an artist has found a style and concept that is a perfect fit for them. That’s not to say that things before or after didn’t work or were bad, but you just know at times when someone is at their best.
When Japanese solo artist iri put out album Shade in 2019, it was – and still is – her finest work. Shade is the representation of a dark and sad – yet still comfortable – state of reflection. The project showed a strong theme throughout, and the distinct vocals of the Zushi-based performer were almost made for what the goals were with this album. Before iri returns on Wednesday with her fifth full-length project neon, we’re going to look back at one of the more intriguing things she has done as an artist.
In 2020, Patrick St. Michel considered iri’s 2018 album Juice as a project that “remains out past last train, but finds ecstasy even in the lower moments of A.M.” If there’s anything that its predecessor, Shade, lives up to, it is presenting a different type of night. One that is up late but not out around the bright lights. One that is suffering through grief but doesn’t have a name to call for help. Shade isn’t any incredibly heartbreaking ode, and it’s not an intense grief that feels disturbing. Instead, it feels like a more relatable day-to-day type of grief that we all have dealt with in our own ways before.
iri didn’t enter this project as some stranger to themes of this nature. Juice certainly showed signs of this, and debut 2016 album Groove it also did as well. But something about Shade feels different. The album feels like a thorough commitment to the theme from vocals, to lyrics, to visual concepts used for the numerous singles.
Thematically, Shade feels like a perfect fit for iri. The storytelling and overarching theme of the album feels like something that already is illustrated in her range as a vocalist. iri’s style vocally has always felt quite unique. When performing, there’s a clear dynamic of the notes that arrive sharply and clear, versus the more challenging higher notes that are called upon at times. Those higher ones are harder to reach, and it’s evident when listening.
It has been noted before by many that iri has a distinct deep voice both when performing and speaking. When performing a lower, possibly more comfortable note, her vocals are quite powerful. But iri often departs from this comfort, going up to higher notes at the peak points of songs. When this happens, the rich delivery of these notes seems to fade somewhat. And not only that, but it feels like there is some sort of finite supply of those high notes. When going higher, it’s like iri is digging into a more labouring style of singing that takes something out of her – it feels like she is on borrowed time in these moments, enduring what are more challenging notes before swooping back down to a more comfortable range.
This dynamic in her vocals is seen through all music: sad, happy, energetic, relaxed. Rap, electronic, R&B, acoustic. But it feels like it is utilized perfectly through Shade. It feels like this struggle in her vocals fits well with these songs that present a similar struggle in a sense.
The focus on lower vocals in this album matched with sometimes simple or stripped back production makes this project a clear stand out in iri’s discography.
“Peak,” one of the deeper songs on the 41-minute playtime, sets up an intimate setting that proves to be a perfect fit for the project. On verses, iri is quite quiet, almost speaking her lines. But on the chorus, she breaks into these powerful vocals that make the song a masterpiece. This performance is put together with just a guitar and piano, along with a few other miscellaneous noises.
One of the more energetic songs, “Sway,” has bold high-pitched synths throughout, making it one of the more energetic listens on this album. “Only One,” one of the three singles that lead off this album and is also distinctively striking due to its liveliness.
“Wonderland” remains the most popular song off the album by a long shot, providing a bittersweet mellow pop tune with smooth rap verses scattered throughout. The other single, “Shade,” bats lead-off in the album and is certainly one of the more underrated tracks. It sets the tone for the album, serving as a solid thesis statement before diving into niches in later songs.
“Common,” “Keep on trying” and final song “mirror” all feel like some of the best non-single songs off this album, all providing the mellow and relaxed sound that feels like the identity of this 11-track project.
It is certainly worth mentioning the quality of producers throughout this album. iri utilizes the talents of many ahead of the curve names, like Yaffle, Kan Sano and ESME MORI. Some might recently recognize Yaffle for his work with Fujii Kaze, a 23-year-old who has quickly sprung into superstar status with songs like “Kirari” and “Kaerou.”
The album even has a rare collaboration with tofubeats on “Flashlight,” where the prolific electronic producer puts his distinct flavour on the track. The sound, while staying in line with the project, almost feels like a song that would be on a tofubeats project instead – if you ask a fan of his to listen to this, they’ll quickly recognize he’s involved.
No song feels the same, but the overarching themes throughout do seem to connect. This is something that differentiates Shade to the other albums that iri has put out. While there are clear themes to other iri albums as well, none maintain consistency like Shade.
There’s no doubt that Shade was not a one-woman project. The aforementioned producers made the elaborate soundtrack. The videographers and photographers involved made fitting album art and music videos that fairly capture the emotions involved. But in the end, of course it was iri that made this album so incredible. It was the distinct voice of iri that meshed so perfectly with what Shade wants to be, making it a memorable album three years later.