An album titled Love Story practically doubles as a mission statement from rockers back number. Since coming together in the early 2000s, the trio of guitarist Iyori Shimizu, bassist Kazuya Kojima, and drummer Hisashi Kurihara concerned itself with matters of the heart. The group explored joy and hurt in equal measures, through slow-building ballads matched with string sections for extra emotional punch and speedier cuts heavy on electric guitar. Love Story encapsulates both its soaring sonic qualities and lyrical prowess for capturing romance past, present, and future. The LP finds back number focusing on every side of the titular emotion. Shimizu’s lyrics read more melancholy and nostalgic across these 12 songs, with protagonists idling their time in parks and drinking cans of beer while thinking about long-gone significant others. The group employs violins and other strings to amplify the lurking hurt on “Fish” and “Kimiga Door O Shimeta Ato”. Speedy guitar sprints such as “Takanero Hanakosan” sound upbeat but betray sad undercurrents. Amid all of Love Story's painful reflections, it also highlights the hope and happy endings. Rollicking rock cuts such as “003” deliver chipper rhythms over which Shimizu sings about opening oneself up to intimacy, despite the ever-looming threat of heartbreak. The joy of nights in, watching rented movies and eating convenience-store ice cream, bursts out on the acoustic “Hikarino Machi”, while closer “Setagaya Love Story” uses back number’s singular ballad approach to build a swelling declaration of new romance set outside of a Tokyo neighborhood’s train station. It’s a triumphant ending from a trio that is hell-bent on love.