THIS BOY

ABOUT THIS ALBUM

Released in 1985, THIS BOY shows Hiroshi Sato refining the electronic studio language he had explored on Awakening into something cleaner, brighter, and more recognizably mid-eighties. Digital keyboards, programmed rhythm, layered vocals, and tightly controlled bass movement dominate the sound, but Sato’s sense of melody keeps the record from feeling cold. “Shiny Lady” opens with an immediately polished surface, while “I Can’t Wait,” “Love Is Happening,” and “Gemini” lean further into synth-pop and electronic soul. The title track closes the album on a gentler note, reminding the listener that Sato’s roots remained in songwriting as much as in technology. Compared with Awakening, which often feels spacious and dreamlike, THIS BOY is more compact and rhythmically defined. Its production reflects how quickly studio tools had changed between the early and middle years of the decade, yet Sato treats those tools as part of the arrangement rather than as novelty effects. The result is an album that belongs firmly to 1985 but still retains the warmth, harmonic subtlety, and keyboard-centered identity that made his earlier records distinctive.