Balcony is wyolica’s 1st original mini-album and it was released on February 4, 2009. The mini-album reached #85 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.

♦ ♦ ♦

Opening the mini-album is Hoshi, the song which also served as the main promotional track. Like many of wyolica’s songs, the music is a mix of relaxing guitar with light beats added in. Fortunately, this formula still works wonders for the duo because this is a nice song and azumi’s vocals are pleasant as well.

The next track is more progressive and features an uptempo sound. I liked the beat in Kaleidoscope along with the faster paced acoustics, but the chorus is definitely the best part of the song. azumi displays strong vocals next to those gritty guitar chords and I think she sounds great when she puts a little bit power behind her normally docile voice.

Apparently, Koibumi is a really old song that the duo recorded back in 2004 and it was used as the theme song for the movie Koibumi Biyori too. The song has never appeared on any of their releases until now and in the form of a new album version. This is the first ballad of the mini-album and it is beautiful. I like that strings come in after the first chorus and they are gorgeous, giving the music that extra feeling of sadness.

wyolica also has songs that feature a blues influence and I could sense that in Saiai no Hito. This is a depressing song because of its use of somber acoustics and strings, but I have to admit that the chorus is very pretty, especially with azumi’s elevated vocals. The music does get a little more interesting with a steady drum beat too. 

The next two tracks feature the mini-album’s most upbeat songs. in the rain provides a nice pace of change since it has an upbeat R&B sound. I liked the beats in this song since they were constant but also added to the positive attitude of the music.

By far the most cheerful song on the mini-album is SUN SUN EYES, a cute track with a groovy rhythm. The music has a bouncy sound to it thanks to the use of brass mixed with percussion. The bridge features a short, yet nicely done flute solo too. I really liked azumi’s vocals in this song and it’s good to hear the more “fun” side of her voice.

The final track also happens to be my favorite. Anata Shikai Inai is GORGEOUS. The duo worked with YoYo from the hip-hop group SOFFet for this wonderful jazz ballad. The arrangement is simple enough but I think it’s so well done because it’s effective in creating a relaxing, yet melancholy atmosphere. The drum beats and background vocals that come later on just add to that. This was the perfect song to end this mini-album.

First of all, I am so glad that wyolica is back! I am also glad that they are still doing the kind of music that they do best. Balcony is a perfect representation of the duo’s older material with some new sounds added here and there. I pretty much enjoyed every song on the mini-album and I wasn’t disappointed in the least bit, especially since this is their first release in almost five years. Even after all this time, the duo still presents a unique and fresh sound too. I highly recommend it!

Overall Rating

4½ stars

Tracklisting

1. Hoshi (星)
2. Kaleidoscope (カレイドスコープ)
3. Koibumi -Album Ver.- (恋文 -Album Ver.-)
4. Saiai no Hito (最愛の人)
5. in the rain
6. SUN SUN EYES
7. Anata Shika Inai (あなたしかいない)

Note: My favorite tracks are highlighted in blue!