Girlhood Memories by Phantom Siita

Review written by Frilled Doll

Girlhood Memories is the debut album for the new and emerging idol group, Phantom Siita. Japanese idols are akin to pop stars in the west, mostly presenting as cute, innocent, and often a bit flirty. Phantom Siita takes this formula, and corrupts it with their theme of retro horror. Per their own description, “If modern idols are ‘butterflies,’ then Phantom Siita is a ‘moth,’ a heretical existence in the idol industry.” With a blend of scary and cute that I’m inherently weak to, and a short run time of 19 minutes for the whole album, how could I not become immediately interested?

I was introduced to Phantom Siita through Ado’s promotion of them, the producer and manager of the group who as an artist I was already following. Ado has already made a prominent name for herself through both her covers and original songs, and this is her first time producing for a group. That said, Phantom Siita as a new girl group already have a strong and distinct start to their sound and look that is uniquely their own.

While Japan has a long standing history of horror media unique to its culture, the retro part of the retro horror theme is still widely accessible. This is through use of older styles and instruments (“Maiden Suicide’s” use of jazz and “Zoku Zoku’s” use of sitar), or distortions that call back to older formats of media (“I Just Want to xxxx with You’s” static opening and “Devilish Girl’s” distorted instrumentals). I do believe that this is an aspect of their theme that could have been more prominent throughout every song; however, it appears that they chose to focus more heavily on the horror aspect.

This is for the best, as the horror we do get is incredible. Many songs have an oppressive and anxiety inducing atmosphere while still remaining fun to listen to and sonically pleasant. Whether this be a sense of melancholy that turns sinister, to aggressive and dissonant melodies that almost threaten to turn violent, there’s always something just a little off to put you on edge. They never tip over into something so intent to scare that it becomes unpleasant to listen to, however, and I commend them for balancing out those parts with addictive hooks and beautiful vocal delivery that keeps you entranced.

Which brings me to what is perhaps the most impressive part of Girlhood Memories: the vocals. This is a 5 person group that was hand picked from a pool of 4,000 applicants, and it shows. These girls can go from belting, to your standard cutesy J-pop voice, to a straight up scream all in a span of 20 seconds. And Ado’s vocal influence is very much present in how they use that range, while still allowing each girl to have their own unique voice. In my opinion, there is not a single track on this album where the vocals are anything less than immaculate.

And then we come to the lyrics themselves, which carry much of the weight of the horror themes. Concepts like blood and killing and the like are obviously common, but a frequent theme that surprised me was the concept of the girls being “toxic” in relationships. Throughout the album, the group creates a character for themselves as alluring yet deadly. There was also an interesting flip-flop between a haughty confidence and deep insecurities that color the stage character of the group.

If I would say one thing against the album, it would be that I wish the sound was more cohesive. Each song has its own unique sound – which is amazing in a vacuum and makes each one great for an individual listen. The problem arises when put together as an album listening experience. Coming in at only 18 minutes and 53 seconds, the tonal whiplash between each song makes it feel less like you’re listening to an album, and more like you put your music on shuffle. This was bound to happen by virtue of each song having a different producer, with each one having well defined styles. While each song is incredible, for me, the album is dissonant and disjointed in a way that takes me out of my immersion.

Yet, if I’m praising the songs on an individual level, then I should go into detail as to what makes them so incredible. And to start, I would like to address the first song on the album, “I Just Want to xxxx with You.” The violins at the beginning mixed with the synths and beats create an atmosphere reminiscent of a demented city pop (Japanese style of pop from the 80s), and immediately sets the tone with a cacophony of seemingly random yet rhythmic sounds. This is the song where I believe the girls are vocally at their most impressive, as the full range of their voices which I described earlier is on display. I also call attention to the lyrics of the chorus, which takes up most of the run time. The play of switching between chu (Japanese onomatopoeia for kiss) and chi (the Japanese word for blood) is a wonderful dichotomy, represented perfectly in the final pre-chorus.

The second song that I would like to call attention to is “Hanabami.” While I believe this is the song that strays the farthest from the retro part of the retro horror theme, I cannot deny the sheer energy and power that was put into this song. Right away it starts with the girls screaming to “love me,” before it breaks down into a rhythm heavy and staccato instrumental. It feels like panicked, racing thoughts while still remaining addicting to listen to. It’s aggressive yet beautiful at the same time – which I think encapsulates the kind of character that Phantom Siita is trying to portray overall.

The final song that I would like to shout out is “Devilish Girl,” being what I believe is the closest to your standard idol song. Yet it is in this that I believe its brilliance lies. Despite being the closest to your standard J-pop, the distorted instrumentals and airy, almost ethereal vocal direction keeps you on edge – like a horrific fairy tale. And while it is probably the second least aggressive lyrically, they still make it clear: “we are toxic, we are dangerous, and you have nowhere else to go.” I believe this and “Hanagatami” are going to be the best introduction to those who are looking for something prettier to start off with.

All in all, I am thoroughly impressed with this as a debut album. I have every confidence that the few critiques I gave throughout this review will be rectified in the future, as thinking about things like album progression often come later on in musical careers. If you love horror or just love J-pop in general, I cannot recommend this album enough.