Album of the Week 17-2025: Merry – The Last Scene

Merry is one of the few Japanese rock bands of which I would believe they sit together in a room to arrange their songs. Even though their compositions are usually credited to one songwriter, mostly guitarist Yuu here, their material just has the live feel of a band playing together that is uncommon among the sterile, overproduced productions that J-rock bands tend to have since time immemorial. It feels like ever since Merry slimmed down to a four-piece band, that vibe has become even more important to them. Their excellent new album ‘The Last Scene’ further seems to evidence this.

In the past, Merry’s music could get reasonably aggressive. However, since 2017’s ‘M-Ology‘ marked the return to their nostalgic retro sound sound that oddly doesn’t really sound like any band from the era they’re nostalgizing, a sense of resigned melancholy defines the band’s music. This is true for ‘The Last Scene’ more than any other Merry album. There are plenty of energetic moments, but even the most upbeat songs have a pensive undercurrent. That also means the punk and metal influences are kept to a minimum, though Nero still plays like a swing jazz drummer with the brute force of a hardrocker.

Kicking off the album with the sorrowful, but quite dynamic ballad ‘Endroll’ comes across as a bit of a mission statement showing that the album is going to be different. But then it is followed by what is easily the album’s heaviest track in ‘Smell’, signaling that we’re still dealing with that weird band that mixes rock riffs with bluesy and jazzy rhythms, as well as catchy songwriting; the more open chorus is beautiful. Gara is hardly ever yelling or screaming on the album, but in my opinion, that is a good thing, as it helps Merry focus on their melodic qualities.

My favorite track on ‘The Last Scene’ might be the subtle ‘Machiko no Yume’. The verses are built upon a somewhat jazzy, beautifully melodic bassline by Tetsu, and Yuu’s guitar work is very sparse. The song being completely devoid of bells and whistles, it truly sounds like you’re in a room with the band playing around you. ‘Haitoku no Skeleton’ is reminiscent of Buck-Tick’s most straightforward rock stuff, the main riff even being somewhat similar to the one on ‘Makka na Yoru -Bloody-‘. Other highlights include the lively, yet emotional ‘In This World’ and the feast of gorgeous harmonies that is the closing title track.

When guitarist Kenichi left the band five years ago, I wasn’t sure what that would mean for the future of Merry. After all, Yuu’s and Kenichi’s guitar lines seemingly loosely dancing around each other used to be a major feature of Merry’s sound. Even more so than on 2021’s ‘Strip‘, the band seems to be very aware of their strengths as a four-piece band playing together, and really ran with the options. It has resulted in one of Merry’s most consistent albums to date, making ‘The Last Scene’ a rare example of an early 2000’s visual kei band aging gracefully.

Recommended tracks: ‘Machiko no Yume’, ‘In This World’, ‘The Last Scene’

Order ‘The Last Scene’ from nearly anywhere in the world at CD Japan below: