KAT-TUN released my favorite song of 2015 with their epic Dead Or Alive. Since then, they delivered the not-so-great Kiss Kiss Kiss and have been on hiatus for nearly a year. Because of this extended wait, my anticipation for Tragedy was high. However, it hurts my fanboy heart to say that I am thoroughly underwhelmed by the single.

Between official releases, solos and music video tracks, the guys have given us nearly forty promotional songs in their ten years together. They’ve delivered duds before, but I’ve liked almost everything they’ve released for the past four or five years. Tragedy starts off strong enough, with a heavy synthesized beat and fast, syncopated verses. However, I’ve got issues with the chorus. It’s frantic, overly long, and ultimately goes nowhere. There’s no breathing room between the video game synths and double-time beat. What’s ironic is that the hook’s construction isn’t too dissimilar from that of Dead Or Alive, but it feels like it’s missing direction — building up without paying off. There’s a lack of finesse in the melody that makes the entire section sound like it’s racing to finish without pausing to have any lasting effect.

Now, this being KAT-TUN, the song isn’t a complete waste. It retains the elements of their sound that I like best. The production has a futuristic dance-meets-rock sheen to it, and the guys sound as convincing as ever. After the dozens of plays I give it, I expect that the track will grow on me somewhat, but given the wait we’ve endured for new music, it just doesn’t match the band’s better material. It’s a shame, but at least we have Unlock to look forward to in a few weeks.

Music video here (but be patient, jpopsuki is the slowest site on the entire internet)