Capsule to release their 16th studio album Metro Pulse in December

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3D polygonal renders of Toshiko and Nakata Yastuaka of Capsule. Both wearing black T-shirts and the Capsule signature black visor shades.

Just recently I was thinking to myself, I wonder when Capsule are gonna release a new album. And then BAM. The fax went out about a new album.

Capsule’s 16th studio album is released on December 14, and it’s titled Metro Pulse. The official fax states that Metro Pulse is a Synth wave x City pop album, which tracks not only with the singles we’ve heard so far, but also Nakata’s more recent output for Perfume. Metro Pulse is more than likely a play on the theme of the album (living in a digital world) and a name to describe the sound of the album. Metro Pulse sounds very fitting as a genre to describe a synth wave and city pop hybrid.

  1. Hikari no Disco (Album Mix)
  2. Give Me a Ride
  3. Future Wave (Album Mix)
  4. Start
  5. Virtual Freedom (Album Mix)
  6. Wonderland
  7. Seaside Dreams
  8. Starry Night
  9. Escape From Reality
  10. To My World

Pussy Pam’s Candy Racer and Perfume’s Cosmic Re-Explorer got no album mixes. But Nakata said ‘My shit will have them’. I’m curious to hear what he’s done with “Hikari no Disco”, “Future Wave” and “Virtual Freedom”. I don’t feel any of these songs needed to be touched, but let me reserve judgement until I hear them. I honestly wouldn’t mind if the changes were big, just to have additional versions of the songs. Especially if the songs have been tweaked to better fit the album, something I really wish Nakata had done with the likes of “Saisei” on Perfume’s Plasma and a couple of Kyary’s singles which were included on Candy Racer.

As cool Easter egg, “Starry Night” is a reimagining of an early Capsule song that Nakata and Toshiko had put together when they were teenagers, pre Capsule back in 1997. And the limited edition release of Metro Pulse features a version of this song which is closer to the original.

I liked the hat-trick of post Wave Runner Capsule singles we got. I liked them far more than the Nakata produced singles we got from Kyary and Perfume. So I am genuinely looking forward to hearing this album. Nakata has clearly been in a good creative zone over the past couple of years, and he seems to be doing a fair amount of looking back; something which may be a result of the pandemic. 2020 gave everybody a moment of stillness to reflect and really look back as a result of what then (and still kinda is) an uncertain future - something which is heavily reflected in Nakata’s output for Capsule, Kyary and Perfume.

This might be an album to watch.


📺 Metro Pulse music videos: Virtual Freedom | Hikari no Disco
💿 Capsule album reviews: Wave Runner | CAPS LOCK | Player

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