tricot are a Japanese act that's all over the place, in a good way. After taking in 3, I dug back into their earlier work and definitely it feels like the band knows where it wants to go now. Motoko "Motifour" Kida and singer Ikumi "Ikkyu" Nakajima mesh together so many influences while bassist Hiromi "Hirohiro" Sagane and a rotating cast of drummers polish off what tricot bring to the table -- and it's a wide variety of styles.

"Tokyo Vampire Hotel", "18, 19" and "Setsuyakuka" are a blend of math-rock meets At The Drive-In, done confidently and with ease. It's amazing how they add a punk dimension to things and still come off so poppy and made for anime intros/outros. It takes a while for their music to sink in but that's because you want to truly absorb the Japanese vocals and lyrics on hand. Then come the dance-tracks such as "Sukima" and "Yosoiki" which feel like a totally different band. "Melon Soda" is actually the best middle ground for the ladies, highlighting how technically strong they are in a market that really should be taking to them. It's like From Indian Lakes meets Enemies meets so many more post-hardcore/math bands out today. 3 however packs a bit more pizzazz and ends up being highly accessible. Goes down pretty easy and honestly, I cannot wait for more from tricot. Topshelf need to get a split done with them and toe ASAP!