The ヴィジュアル系 (Visual Kei) genre has many, many artists. But some of them are more familiar names than others. And vistlip is one of those more familiar names. With 10 years to their name already the group has made it into the hearts of many fans, and onto the playlist of many listeners alike. Another fun fact is that during the 10 years vistlip has been around already, none of the members ever left the group. So what you’re looking at today is the same band as when they started a decade ago, just with a lot more knowledge about each other and their music.
As I just mentioned, vistlip have been around for 10 years now, which means it’s about time for a celebration. In addition to a nationwide tour, the group will also release some new works in the form of two singles and a live DVD from their anniversary concert which is coming next year.
“It” is the first single in this release schedule, which means it’s about time to check where vistlip are at as a group, don’t you think?
“It” was released in three different types, where the “lipper version” (which we’re going to be looking at today) includes a second track named “Persona”. The “vister” version comes with a DVD containing the music video and making of for “It”, and the third version (which is just named “with DVD”) comes with behind the scenes/off shot footage named “ROUGH the vistlip～催眠術大好きvistlip～” (ROUGH the vistlip ~Saimin Jutsu Daisuki vistlip~).
Like mentioned earlier, today we’ll be looking at the “lipper” version of the release, so without further ado, let’s go!
It
As mentioned before, vistlip is around for quite some years already. And that fact returns in the title song “It”. This group is very aware of one-another and their skills, but they have also found common ground with the music they create together.
Appealing to a wide audience with their upbeat, cheerful pop-rock sound “It” underlines that vistlip have a solid foundation they create their music on. A familiar sound while still being a new chapter in their history so far. With lyrics like “There is no time like the present” and “The unidentified content does not need a name, call it purely “it”” the group shows that they still have what it takes to be both recognizable yet renewing in their own world.
Persona
While “It” immediately started off with the familiar upbeat vistlip style, the bonus track “Persona” is a step down from the tempo of the title song of the single, but don’t think about calling this track a ballad in any shape or form. Vocalist 智 (Tomo) makes use of his full vocal range by also taking the high notes really well, while the instrumentals mix in very well by creating a slightly heavier sound behind him.
All in all, you could say that “Persona” really reflects the persona of vistlip as a group.
Conclusion
Despite only existing out of two songs, “It” is the absolute proof that vistlip still has what it takes as a group, even after a decade of making music together as the same group.
While the group is located on the pop-rock side of the ヴィジュアル系 (Visual Kei) genre and thus might not appeal to fans of the heavier side of the genre they still manage to produce a solid enjoyable single with an overall upbeat tone that show that despite it being ten years already, they’re more than ready to continue to the fifteen years mark.
They have found the “it” factor for themselves, and this really returns in their current work which will no doubt appeal to both old and new fans to come.
Release information
Are you interested in supporting the band by getting your own copy of the release? Here is something to get you started:
 (w/ DVD, Limited edition) | 01. It DVD 01. ROUGH the vistlip～催眠術大好きvistlip～ (ROUGH the vistlip~Saimin Jutsu Daisuki vistlip~) |
 (lipper Ver. Regular edition) | 01. It 02. Persona |
 (vister Ver. CD+DVD) | 01. It DVD 01. It (Music Video) 02. It (Music Video Making) |
Artist: vistlip
Release: It (lipper version) (single)
Release date: November 8, 2017
CD number: MJSS-9202 (lipper version) / MJSS-9207 (vister version) / MJSS-9200 (w/ DVD)
雪 (Yuki) is the owner and driving force behind Arlequin.
She originally started the project in 2009 as a photographer under the name of Arlequin Photography, but developed an interest in journalism and translation ever since. Because of these interests interviews and reviews were added to the project, until it eventually hit the limits as a "photographer" in 2021, and Arlequin Magazine was added to the mix.
雪 (Yuki) is a native Dutch speaker with a graphic design degree, which means she is also the main person behind Arlequin Creations.
After all these years she is still the main person who does interviews the interviews and live photos that you see on Arlequin, but also a large chunk of the reviews and behind-the-scenes work and communication goes through her.
She speaks Dutch and English on a native level, but also understands Japanese and German.