The band CYNTIA achieve something of the impossible with the song “幻覚の太陽” (“Genkaku no Taiyō”), from its debut album Endless World (2012). With an unusual lyrical structure and perfect instrumental breaks, this nine-minute churning rocker warps into a gem of a three-minute pop song. This is somehow appropriate given the English translation of the title: “Hall of Illusions.” CYNTIA eases into the song with impressionistic synthesizer arpeggios, joined by drum and guitar accents before settling into a driving groove.

“幻覚の太陽” has five distinct vocal melodies, several of which also have counterpoint backing vocals. The classification into verse and chorus is somewhat irrelevant. Each melody is catchier than the one that preceded it. The culmination of this incessant build up is the final line of the lyrics “I believe in the future world, the future world!” The band go through this progression twice, with Kanoko’s double kick drums pushing the rhythm.

Guitarist Yui’s biting, off-kilter solo parachutes in from a different sonic universe during the extended instrumental break. A brief, but exciting, drum solo leads into a reprise of the final three vocal parts. CYNTIA then return to the first driving groove and close things down with a hard stop. CYNTIA’s “Genkaku no taiyō” seems over before it started. It’s a perfect example of how great hooks and clever structural elements can create a seductive aural time warp. Mind-bending.