SCANDAL - Pride that lasts for one track

I was excited when I heard "PRIDE." Although I don't know if you can ever call SCANDAL true-to-form rock, there's no denying that some of their songs really do rock, in addition to kicking ass. For that kind of pop-rock-alternative thing SCANDAL has going, "PRIDE" is absolutely solid. The vocals are great, the music is varied and well-performed, and musically it's a fun song to listen to. But this single suffers from classic A-side/B-side syndrome. As good as "PRIDE" is, that's how boring the remaining tracks are. "CUTE!" has a very poppy, AKB48-type feeling that I found grating, and the music doesn't feel fully developed. It's like they just rushed it through production because they needed more music on the single. "Emotions" is the same way, the "rock" version of "CUTE!" It's promising at the beginning, building tension little by little, but when the hook finally appears the song deflates under the pressure and the rest of the song is flat. Only the "PRIDE" instrumental makes a good B-side, displaying just how much is going on in the background with that song. I'm sad to be disappointed by this single, but that's all I can feel about it.