the studs - Creepy Crawly

Creepy Crawly is the first of the three-release campaign in October, and it's the one most highly advertised by the band with the pre-release of the PV and clips on their website well before the release. Each CD comes with one new song and three live recordings.

Creepy Crawly starts out with very prominent bass lines and a fast paced beat. One of the best aspects of the song is how clearly the guitar and bass are equally heard throughout the song while still allowing listeners to appreciate Daisuke's vocals. The chorus is a harmonious mix between Daisuke and backup vocals of aie, entwined beautifully in a sound different from the rest of the song. It speeds up to a catchy melodic chant, only to drop back to the original beat without any rough transitions. Daisuke also doesn't disappoint with throaty vocals and edgy sound, keeping the song on a cheerful sounding path but never losing the rock edge.

The live recordings are definitely below par. While the instrumentals in Spread from Sister are great, Daisuke's vocals certainly aren't, and he is not on his game with whiny vocals and an irritating range. Thursday isn't far behind; it's mostly improvised and is just sloppy sounding. Out of the three recordings though, it is the best one in sound and quality. The most disappointing of the three is Aru Asa, which is a new song they had launched on And Hate. Aru Asa is not one of the album's strongest releases to begin with, and considering the live edition sounds like a poor quality studio recording with some inconsistent vocals and improvisation, it leaves much to be desired.

the studs have finally fallen back into the western alternative sound without losing their visual kei flair, and Creepy Crawly was a good kick off to that transition. However, their choices in live recordings to combine with this single don't really fit, making it a bit of a disappointment. For fans who are more interested in the new material, the price tag on the CD is a little hefty for just one good track.