“Let It Be Real” by Macross 82-99 (feat. Emi Aramaki)

Five years have passed since the release of Macross 82 – 99’s Sailorwave II. In the meantime, Alberto Munoz Calderon has released plenty of new music, like 2018’s delightful Summer Touch. But every one’s been eagerly awaiting a new Sailorwave volume chock full of colorful, bubblegum-sweet, anime-inspired jams.

Well, Sailorwave III is finally here, and it’s precisely what we’ve been waiting for. Listening to the album is like walking through Abed’s cartoon tunnel, only instead of entering a land where the smell of pie can make you float, you’re walking down the midnight streets of Tokyo as envisioned in classic ’80s and ’90s anime, replete with flashing neon, trendy discothèques and arcades, and maybe even the occasional mech battle.

However, it’s not all just flashy façade. Album highlight “Let It Be Real” features the same slick, city pop-influenced melodies and production as the rest of the album, but Emi Aramaki’s soaring voice lends the song a surprising poignancy as she sings “Let it be real/I never had a love like this before/You’re all that I feel/I want to be the one that you adore.”