[koumori]

23rd Monster is a surprise release, dropped on the 8th April 2021 to celebrate Ayu's 23rd anniversary as an artist with Avex. You can read tenshi no hane's translation of the song here.

Questions (unnecessary to answer them, just to stir thoughts):
1. What do you think of the song?
2. The mixing/production of Ayu's songs has been a hot topic for quite a few years now. How do you think 23rd Monster holds up in that regard?
3. Ayu has had issues with her vocal performance in the last few years, experimenting with different techniques and styles to work with her vocal cord damage. What do you think of her vocal performance in 23rd Monster?
4. Any other worries about the lyrical content? What do you think this could mean for Ayu's music going forward?
5. 23rd Monster also had its own single cover, shot by Kazuyoshi Shimomura. How do you feel about the creative direction of the photoshoot? Any thoughts on what the artistic meaning is, or do you feel it was still lacking in any obvious meaning to the viewer?
6. Although not out in full yet, the PV for 23rd Monster still has a teaser on youtube, so thoughts on that (and the full-length one later) are welcome too.