You can’t blame the mind for wandering when you’ve been trapped indoors for months due to a pandemic that’s overstayed its welcome. The comforts of your bedroom shift into odd shapes that fuel insecurities and paranoia. They’re difficult to escape from. Home just doesn’t feel like home anymore.
But there are some people—let’s call them the wild ones—who’ve decided it was time to break out of their misery and grapple with their nightmares once and for all. At the forefront, leading the wild ones, is singer-songwriter ena mori with a record that tears down walls as it demands the freedom to roam wild and happily.
It doesn’t take a minute to tell you that you’re in for a kaleidoscopic bedroom party for one once DON’T BLAME THE WILD ONE! comes through the speakers. The Filipino-Japanese artist’s 12-track synthpop offering bursts with color, letting you know firsthand how she dealt with the claustrophobic grasp of the lockdowns. It’s quirky with grooves that compliment her unapologetic and encouraging lyrics, reminding listeners to embrace their true selves.
Just like with her 2020 self-titled debut, the “KING OF THE NIGHT!” act tackles her insecurities by giving her most authentic self permission to dance the night away. This time though, she takes up a larger space to let herself be louder and bolder than ever before, especially for the quiet ones.
If you take a moment to appreciate the visuals that come with the album, you’ll easily get an idea what you’re about to jump into. The album sounds exactly how it looks—bright, vibrant, and enrapturing—with the capacity to turn a frown into unabashed joy. Together with producer timothy Run, studio engineer Audry Dionisio, and mixing and mastering engineers Emil dela Rosa and Sam Marquez, DON’T BLAME THE WILD ONE! becomes the collaborative pandemic album that’s packed with confident anthems that chase your nightmares away. It doesn’t just sound good, it also makes you feel good, unafraid, and proud to be a wild one.