ZB1's Return (LOVE) to Form? The New Japanese Release for August 19th

As we wait for the other shoe to drop on Ascend- and its possible Billboard 200 position for the week of July 10th, let's talk about the upcoming 2nd Japanese release ZB1 has coming.

On Wednesday, June 24th, the official Japan channels for the group announced a new EP/single length release, 回帰LOVE [Kaiki LOVE, which translates to Return to LOVE] for August 19th.

The two original songs have intrigued me because I do not care about a ported version of 2 minute TikPop, full stop because of what history and Prezent did for the group. The original Japanese language songs for ZB1: "Yura Yura (Unmei no Hana)", "Only One Story", "Now Or Never", "Firework" and "HANA" are some of the best songs in Japanese but are easily the best songs to the group's name. Yes, I'm aware getting into a KPOP group and going up for their Japanese releases the most is weird. No, I won't change my mind.

As for the two original songs in question, "Existence (イグジステンス)" and "Aphrodite", the former is the single ["title track" my ass when the EP isn't even called that, oh my god.] In the description, the song is said to have been written by some members of a Japanese group called Omoinotake. Looking this group up online, good news on runtime: they know what songs over three minutes are. Ascend- still pisses me off by the runtimes/producers cheating the group out of proper song lengths.

Aside from some hope displayed in who helped write the single, there's something about "Aphrodite" being J-R&B [Japanese R&B] with a "modern Y2K" sound that's hilarious in description, but intriguing nonetheless. Despite it being as long as the initial cooking time for microwavable TV dinner, "TOP 5" did latch on to the early to mid 00s R&B flavored pop music the internet yearns for. "Aphrodite" does at least have the chance to be "TOP 5" with an actual runtime.

All I know is, "Existence" A) better live up to the expectations of the other Japanese songs and B) have enough PHYSICAL COPIES IN THE COUNTRY THAT STILL BUYS PHYSICAL COPIES BY THE KEI-TRUCK to get them another hit. Seriously, several people still need to be fired for not getting ZB1 another hit in Japan when they were 9, from the LITERAL POKEMON THEME SONG for a hot minute, let alone "Now Or Never" being released in JANUARY, when all one has to do to get a hit in winter is click "Publish" or "Upload".

回帰LOVE / Return to Love, releases August 19th. Review coming then.