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Tracklist: 01. 東京、熱帯夜につき 02. 夜想GALAXXXY 03. サクラユメ 04. 甘美な嘘と退屈な薄紅 05. Relic Snow 06. 神様がもしいるなら 8/10 | DIV's unique blend of EDM and rock proves to be a winner! Never a band to sit idle, young visual rockers DIV have continued their steady stream of releases and christened 2016 with their second and latest EP EDR TOKYO. The 'EDR' in the title stands for 'Electronic Dance Rock', and while electronics have always been present in DIV's music, they've mostly --with the exception of a few b-sides like "milky latte" and "東京ネクロポリス博物館 (Tokyo Necropolis Hakubutsukan)"-- operated on the peripheries: relegated to mood-setting intros, punchy breakdowns, and background frill. EDR TOKYO asserts itself as a more overt electronic endeavor, however. Their last single, the awesome, EDM-fueled "イケナイKISS (ikenai kiss)" gave us a good taste of what DIV's 'EDR' could sound like, and it's certainly served as precursor to the material on this EP. The blithesome opener "東京、熱帯夜につ (tokyo nettaiya ni tsuki)" borrows some of the EDM elements of that song, but takes them a bit further, as guitars take a backseat to bright, layered synths and atmospheric bleep bloops. The song openly embraces electronics and effectively sets the precedent for the rest of the EP; each song is inundated with lively synth-work and programming that's both varied and meticulously applied. There may even be moments where you'll question if you're still listening to DIV or not; the main synth in "神様がもしいるなら (kamisama ga moshi iru nara)" sounds like something you'd hear in a , and the heavy, electro-blended guitars in "甘美な嘘と退屈な薄紅 (kanbi na uso to taikutsu na usubeni)" would equally at home in a track by the GazettE, yet they implement all of this without really straying from who they are. This EP proves that DIV have thoroughly invested themselves in 'EDR' and the electronics here neither sound like a gimmick nor are they arbitrary sonic decorations. Every synth sounds like it has purpose and is an inherent part of the song. Some may worry that the heavy-focus on electronic music may have come at a price, but rest assured, that is not the case. DIV have not neglected 'R' in 'EDR'! Tracks like "夜想GALAXXXY (yasou GALAXXXY)" and "サクラユメ (sakurayume)" have plenty of audible guitar work, yet are still seamlessly integrated with the electronics. "甘美な嘘と退屈な薄紅" and "Relic Snow", which are arguably the harder tracks of the EP, even boast a bit of breakdown chugging. Clever programming also pervades the EP, with the drums alternating between satoshi's live playing, techno kicks, dubstep-snares and more. Throughout EDR TOKYO, this creates a kind of aural symbiosis that draws forth the raving energy of EDM, but equally channels the adrenal charge of metalcore and the buoyancy of styles like pop-rock and pop-punk. In short, the EP still rocks out in spite of DIV's stylistic choices - no, perhaps even because of them. EDR TOKYO does lose a bit of steam by the last two tracks, though. That particular duo seems to retread similar musical ground as the previous tracks, but that's a minor grievance, as both tracks still maintain enough personality to sustain the EP. Ultimately, DIV have accomplished what they've set out to do: they've successfully accentuated their electronic tendencies while maintaining their rock-oriented outlook. EDR TOKYO doesn't feel like a conscious shift in DIV's musical direction - it sounds like the band simply manifesting more of who they already were to begin with. Purchase EDR TOKYO @ CDJapan