Keep your eyes peeled or they might whizz past you in their vintage 1980 Toyota Corolla—the four masked voyagers, recognized under the name SF4AM, have been sweeping through the Bay Area since their debut single dropped May 12th. With enigmatic beginnings, SF4AM is slowly making a name for themself through their charismatic personas, engrossing videos, and charming music.
My endeavor to unmask any sort of information on the daft punky Power Rangers was unfruitful. Nothing. That didn’t stop me from running down every tangent line possible, though. I dug through any social media platform that referenced SF4AM. They’re on Instagram, they’re on TikTok, they’re on X (fka Twitter), and they’re also on YouTube. After all my searching, I realized that the mystery is the whole point. So, here’s what I was able to uncover:
SF4AM is an adventure; documented through their music videos, it depicts the journey of a group of Asian Americans to “chase their unconventional dreams and find their unique voices.” The quartet is signed to the Asian-American label 88rising, works with the Japanese media company CEKAI, and is sponsored by Toyota. It only makes sense that they’re the Power Rangers of music
Power Rangers brought the marvel of the Japanese franchise Super Sentai to America and has cemented itself into American culture. The show was introduced in the U.S. in 1993 (it turned 30 years old this past August) and has spanned 29 television seasons since then. A major premise behind Power Rangers is that their identity is shrouded—no one is allowed to know who the real Power Rangers are. Beyond this, they all possess unique abilities but morph together to become a powerful machine. SF4AM consists of a Red, Yellow, Blue, and Green Ranger and though we don’t know their individual superpowers, it sure is clear that their “machine” is making killer music.
SF4AM has thus far released four singles, showing large house and jazz influence. They kicked things off with the lo-fi “Cold Night Hot Decision.” The track opens with a downtempo, house-focused touch but slowly ramps up to a beat that would get the whole discotheque moving. Keeping in stride, their next single, “Pacific Heights Laser Trolley,” propagates good vibrations through your soul with a bouncy piano riff and peppy bassline. SF4AM decided to put their versatility on full display with “Haight Street Roll,” an up-tempo, new-wave jazz track that cauterizes liquid drums, minimalist synths, and fluttering woodwinds. Again, displaying their musical range, their latest single, “Blossom Hill Blues,” is a poppy, RnB-influenced tune that features the most lyrical content of their four singles. “Blossom Hill Blues” meshes a meticulous drum rhythm with glittery synths that is built up by flutes, a groovy bassline, and subtle chuck-guitar throughout the song.
To say I’m excited to see where these guys are going is an understatement. I expect SF4AM to make a strong name for themselves in the alternative scene and I will be proud to say I was on their early wave (I’ll even have proof with this article). Yep, I’ll be that guy who “listened before they were cool,” but once you give them a spin, you’ll understand exactly where I’m coming from. Also be sure to watch their immersive music videos for their journey through the nightlife of the West Coast and check out their new single, “SOURDOUGH BREADBOWL” out this Friday!
LIYL: KAYTRANADA, Daft Punk, Toro y Moi, Jitwam