When charting the musical evolution of Macaroni Empitsu, it’s important to remember that the band had already spent years releasing EPs and singles before it got around to putting out its first full-length LP. In that light it makes sense that the group was experimenting with different genres as early as its 2017 debut album. But 2022’s Happyendhenokitaiha is where the members of Macaroni Empitsu really started feeling their proverbial oats and jumping around the musical map. And it’s a testament to the consistency of their artistic vision that the record still sounds completely connected to the rest of the band’s discography. Throughout most of Happyendhenokitaiha, the sunny power pop that made Macaroni Empitsu famous is still the dominant mode, but that doesn’t keep other flavors from busting out all over. It’s apparent from the very first track that something different is going on here, as the four bandmates mix soaring, Queen-worthy art rock in with their signature sound. There are tracks where the power-pop vibe has been largely subsumed by alt-rock, but by this point that wasn’t news for these guys. There’s an undeniable mischievousness to the band’s experimentation. “Tomason” starts out as a relatively straightforward rocker until it falls abruptly into a reggae groove mid-song and then proceeds to jump just as surprisingly into a jazz feel for a moment before returning to rocking. And “Tonttu” adopts an overtly tongue-in-cheek tone when it takes a dip into Metallica territory, complete with crunchy guitars and angry-sounding vocals. But even when the experimentation is more nuanced, it’s still striking, like when the band slips into funky dance-rock on “Waltz No Letter” or takes a slinky detour into slightly jazzy, R&B-tinged pop punctuated by electronic beats on “Nanndemonaiyo.” No matter how afield it may briefly venture, Macaroni Empitsu always returns to its stylistic home base eventually. And the effervescence that’s always at the heart of its sound remains ever present here, stylistic shifts notwithstanding.