Tang & Nodoka - The Love Stories
Tang is a talented music artist from Miami, Florida. This self-proclaimed anime guy is an avid writer and pours a great deal of creativity into everything he creates and releases. Today we are excited to share our thoughts on Tang’s latest album, The Love Stories, which features vocals from Nodoka!
The Love Stories opens with “Forever Last Dance”. From the outset, this song grabs attention, its Japanese-language intro with great harmonies by Tang and Nodoka setting the table brilliantly. Both vocalists shine throughout the song, bringing its lyrics to life, before reuniting in sweet harmony again to close out the song. “Darling” follows and I enjoy how grounded the song feels, giving it some genuine notes that add an important layer to the song. The vibe this song gives off is reminiscent of both contemporary R&B and J-Pop, making it really stand out. “Someday Maybe” is third and this one stands out as especially heartfelt. In this song particularly, I really found myself leaning into Nodoka’s performance and enjoying her part above all else - though Tang’s work in this song is just as essential to making the whole thing work, especially his masterful melodic work during the chorus.
The fourth song from The Love Stories is “Lalala”, a song that seems light and airy on the surface but contains deeper, more heartbreaking lyrics. I found myself coming back to this song a lot because it offers multiple ways to listen; you can turn your brain off and vibe to the airy melody or you can listen with an insightful approach and analyze the song’s meaning. It is special. “Nanana” is up next and Tang absolutely owns this song. It is easy to hear Tang’s confidence in his performance and I feel like it is in this song where he sounds the best we have heard him yet. The penultimate song from the album is “My Apologies”, an absolute soul-stirring song. Perhaps the strongest overall song on the album, this one is sure to keep you coming back. To repeat myself a few sentences ago in regards to “Lalala”, “My Apologies” is also special. “Need You More Than Myself” closes out the album and it serves the role of album closer very well. With straight-to-the-point lyrics and plenty of the heart you will have gotten used to by now, this song is a great exclamation point from a great overall release.
The Love Stories is the second extended work I have listened to from Tang and Nodoka with the three-track EP Emotionally Driven being my first (my favorite from that project was undoubtedly “Bee Da Boop”, by the way). Even though Emotionally Driven was a truly solid release, it is awesome to see how much Tang has grown on The Love Stories with sharper vocal performances, more confidence in his delivery and still coming at you with honest, heartfelt lyrics. Nodoka’s vocals also dazzle on the album and the interplay between her voice and Tang’s is a legitimate treat - I am glad these two have continued to work together and release amazing music.
So take my word for it - The Love Stories is a great album and definitely is not one you will want to skip. Check out Tang’s Linktree for more - you can find him @TrizzyTang on the socials. We have the YouTube playlist for The Love Stories embedded below and you can find it on other platforms here!
