Japanese pop-rock duo Yorushika’s third full-length album, 2020’s Plagiarism, stands as the project’s most conceptually ambitious work to date. Producer N-buna and vocalist Suis envisioned the full-length as a self-contained narrative about a man who plagiarises music, exploring the value of art and originality. Yorushika did not hold back—alongside the record, it shared a novella expanding on this theme. The central tension the pair explores across the LP’s 14 songs is the line between homage and outright stealing of ideas. Yorushika plays with this idea by continuously referencing older artistic works. Instrumental passages borrow from classical composers such as Beethoven and Erik Satie. The guitar riff powering “Prostitution” uses the same chords found on Ray Charles’ “Hit the Road Jack”. The sampling extends to lyrics, with the zippy rock of “Thoughtcrime” both nodding to 1984 via its title and borrowing from the haiku of early 20th-century poet Ozaki Hōsai. But the duo offers no easy answers to this question of originality, preferring to let the listener make up their own mind. Yorushika’s third album includes some of its best contrasts between upbeat melody and heady lyrics. This approach defined the pair’s previous full-lengths but works even better here when coupled with the central theme. The title track marries a midtempo rock stroll with words of self-doubt. “Replicant”—a nod to Blade Runner—dashes ahead on a sunny alternative-rock melody, while questioning art’s intrinsic value. By the album’s closing piano ballad, “Ghost In A Flower”, Yorushika finds emotional resolution over a sweeping backdrop. For the duo, Plagiarism is just another concept to explore. For J-pop, however, it is among its most ambitious offerings to date.