After organizing last month's Tommy Angels spin-off of a spin-off, Brilliant Green vocalist Tomoko Kawase returns to stage front to present this new offering from the original spin-off, Tommy February⁶. Confused yet? Well fortunately, aside from a credibility-saving dose of irony, there's nothing so confusing about this latest not-quite-as-good-as-her-early-stuff single. The 80s synths are still in fine form and there's nothing here that would have sounded at all out of place in a school disco circa 1987. Even though this is undeniably a step down from past glories, what still sets Tommy apart from jobbing J-Pop dress-up dolls like Ayumi Hamasaki is not only her sense of humour and lightness of touch but also the way that her choruses and hooks continue to arrest you at unexpected times of day or night.

The B-side "I Still Love You Boy" is a thoroughly wet ballad awash with synthesised strings and occasional bursts of ethereal, gurning air guitar for extra sensitivity. Slow dances only. -Ian Martin, Feb.17.04

MaGic in youR Eyes