Producers Azupubschool and Cor!s are both accomplished artists in their own right, having released individual albums and worked on larger J-pop projects in recent years. Together, they create music as KiWi, a project that recently shared an up-tempo dance-pop cut via the Diplo-founded online label Good Enuff. Yet the duo¡¯s newest set, ¡°The Scene of Ordinary,¡± highlights a different side. KiWi doesn¡¯t dispense with the energy, but ¡°The Scene of Ordinary¡± underlines the pair¡¯s penchant for dramatic chamber pop.

It¡¯s a fitting vibe for a duo whose visual imagery conjures up a cuter version of ¡°The Addams Family.¡± Every collection of songs shared thus far has come with its own backstory. Appropriately, the music on ¡°Ordinary¡± loads up on strings, horns and the kinds of synthesizers apt for a theme park¡¯s haunted house. KiWi is capable of being cheery, though. Closer ¡°Yume no Tsuzuki¡± (¡°The Dream Continues¡°) loads up on orchestral pomp and cymbal smashes to create a big, booming number that brims over with confidence.

KiWi is at its best, however, when allowing small details to add some unease to its sound ¡ª ¡°KiWi no Furudokei¡± (¡°KiWi¡¯s Antique Clock¡°) features steady ticking alongside a growling chorus, which adds some welcome creepiness to an otherwise twinkling performance.

Beyond the unease, ¡°The Scene of Ordinary¡± has great songwriting ¡ª and I don¡¯t mean simply adding clock sounds when needed. ¡°An Ordinary Waltz¡± is, despite what the title implies, an intricate string-guided creation that is filled of elegant turns and emotional peaks, bookended by Victorian-era piano notes. It even extends to the EP¡¯s one instrumental inclusion, ¡°Droll Kitchen,¡± which is a swing-inspired song that features jazzy piano interludes and samples of water being poured into some kind of vessel. The combination makes for a song that settles as the album¡¯s moment of easy energy, but present something much more intriguing.

KiWi¡¯s ¡°The Scene of Ordinary¡± is available via .