Make Believe Melodies For March 24, 2025

Mekdachi Khalil Appreciation Post

Snail’s House — Alien Pop V

Last week I submerged myself in kawaii. It was the tenth anniversary of producer Tomggg’s Butter Sugar Cream, an EP of playroom-adjacent dance pop that feels like one of the most influential releases of the last decade, both for its role in shaping “kawaii future bass” and generally capturing a “vibe” surrounding the entire nation of Japan. Perhaps the post about that will actually come out in the next few days…but as part of revisiting this cuddly period of electronic music in the country, I did a lot of listening back on other artists shaping this cutesy era.

Alongside Tomggg, producer Snail’s House might be the best representative, and not just because they too celebrated ten years in the game recently. Keitaro Ujiie’s project has dabbled in lo-fi beats, Ghibli-core lushness and sample-based atmospherics, all wrapped up in a visual package built for a corner at Kiddyland. Yet their best — both as pure music and as part of a larger conversation about “kawaii” in dance music — has been the Alien Pop series, which revolve around uptempo electro-pop inspired by the maximalism of Yasutaka Nakata and revels in manipulated digi vocals. Just in time, here’s the fifth installment.

Snail’s House isn’t mixing up the formula too much here — it’s bright melodies powered by guitars and synths helping propel electronic-smudged singing somewhere between Vocaloid and early Perfume towards cosmic heights. “Meteorgirl” (above) works in more rock touches than songs in this series are used to, while a familiar version of the electro ecstasy comes on the buzzy “Stellarium,” rounded out by 8-bit notes. Closer “Discovery,” meanwhile, plays out at a slower tempo, offering the one swerve on this space-bound set.

Besides being a well-rounded collection of electro-pop centered around robo vocals, what I continue to appreciate about Alien Pop is how it shows the range of “kawaii” in electronic music and the ways it has mutated over the years. It isn’t all bell chimes and sweet singing — it can be other worldly too. Get it here, or listen below.

FRUITS ZIPPER — “Kawaii Te Magic”

Speaking of Yasutaka Nakata intersecting with kawaii spaces — here he is producing the latest song for neo-idol outfit FRUITS ZIPPER. His music still sounds very much in Nebula Romance’s orbit (which is to say, he’s drawing from the ‘80s, or at least his idea of them), but the construct of a pop group like this means the synth boogie takes on new context. For FRUITS ZIPPER, they get to be a little more relaxed than usual, working within the confines of this electro groove, while the outfit’s playful tag-team singing and outbursts (“yay!!!!”) gives Nakata’s work an idol enthusiasm other projects can’t. There’s definitely a scent of Perfume present…but FRUITS ZIPPER take it and put their own mark on it. Listen above.

Koh-Gaku — Opto6: Yukichi Kasaku/men

The Koh-Gaku camp has expanded, bringing in pop-rock tinkerer Gimgigam to join the original lineup of Tsudio Studio, SNJO and JAWZZ (formerly HiRO.JP). With the sixth edition of the group’s Opto project, they also welcome in a guest offering a new twist to how the project goes. Yukichi Kasaku/men — a pop experimentalist in their own right —  serves as guest vocalist, allowing to see their delivery soundtracked in ways both conventional and oddball. SNJO and Tsudio Studio take up the later, delivering highlights by respectively creating cascading electro blankets and digital clouds of fog for Kasaku/men to navigate. The familiar, though, works surprisingly well when paired with someone often avoiding it, as is the case when Gimgigam lays down the kind of guitar groove that could have slayed on alternative radio in the early ‘90s. Get it here, or listen above.

Anzunokomo — canvas

Vocaloid has always made room for loathing and longing, but rarely in such a visceral way as on producer Anzunokomo’s canvas. Set against electronic skitters sometimes given grace by touches of string and ambient wooze, Anzunokomo uses synthesized voices to paint a picture of solitary paint full of regrets and dreams of far off places. Even the syllabic ripples defining so much upbeat songs in the style turns into something melancholy in Anzunokomo’s workstation. Though even amidst the internet-era ennui, it ends with the slow-burn of “Fuyugeshiki No You Ni” complete with euphoric drop doubling as a finale. Get it here, or listen above.

Osoroshia Kakumei — Kono Chu De Asobaremasen

You know what I was thinking about a few weeks back? “Remember Times New Viking, they were pretty cool.” What I was really reacting to was a hunger for youth-powered rock unafraid to sound scuzzy, fueled on just going for it rather than any like plans to go any particular way. A great time for Osoroshia Kakumei (translation: The Russian Revolution) to rip into my life. The Onomichi-born outfit plays uptempo songs recorded kind of shitty but delivered with vigor and topped off by scream-and-response hooks. There’s touches of the 21st century scattered across its debut album — “GALS DON’T CRY” adds in samples and small electronic touches, like parking-garage T.M.P — but it’s an absolute thrill because of the fuzzy rock plunges ahead. Listen above.

e5 — “YOUNG & ADULT”

A reflective — on both dark times and better ones coming after the pain of adolescence — one from e5, who shows off a sweeter side of her voice with a few moments hitting at even greater range. Navigating youth remains her focus — but here she offers another angle on getting through it. Listen above.

Piaman — “Social Window”

MacSpeak electro madness, needed to highlight this goofy slice of dance fun. Get it here, or listen above.

goku sasaki — 25X0X

Bedroom rap that sounds like it’s about to fall over onto the floor. Love that near-collapse energy. Listen above.

Yurina Hirate — “Eeny Meeny Miny Moe”

Former Keyakizaka46 member Yurina Hirate has been up to some pretty interesting music since jumping back into the solo music game last fall. The way she got there is pretty interesting too — she initially signed a deal with HYBE’s subsidiary NAECO, which looked like a big deal at the time but ended up producing next to nothing and saw Hirate leave in August 24 before landing at Cloud Nine, home of Ado and a particularly outspoken founder (see below). Since, she’s enjoyed newfound attention in music, collabing with her agency’s current superstar on TV and releasing pop dabbling in modern dance sounds and more well-worn styles.

“Eeny Meeny Miny Moe” is the most exciting of her return songs to date. Set over a tech-house-indebted backdrop that adds to the intensity as it ratchets up, Hirate channels Aughts-era singers and contemporary rappers to create something between unnerving come-on and empowered dance-pop. It works because for most of it Hirate chooses to keep the mood understated — no big moment over-extending her singing, just a lift before the chorus. No overly showy rap breakdown, less about adding to the song and showing that a label’s hip-hop lessons weren’t for waste. This just pulses ahead and she slithers alongside it, working in tandem to create something wonderfully unsettling. Listen above.

Oricon Trail For The Week Of March 10, 2025 To March 16, 2025

Back in the day, the Oricon Music Charts were the go-to path to music stardom in Japan. Acts of all sorts traversed these lands, trying to sell as many CDs as possible in order to land a good ranking on a chart choosing to only count physical sales, even as the Internet came to be and the number of versions offered for sale got ridiculous. Today, with the country finally in on digital, these roads are more barren and only looked at by the most fanatic of supporters needing something to celebrate. Yet every week, a new song sells enough plastic to take the top spot. So let’s take a trip down…the Oricon Trail.

King & Prince — “HEART” (317,467 Copies Sold)

Look, I don’t want to talk about the song. I’m not interested in its grip on the Oricon Charts despite being pretty ho-hum on streaming. I can’t even bring myself to care about the YouTube thumbnail which looks like a T-pop design. No, I’m focused on him.

The moment he appeared as fake TV show host, a wave of unnerving familiarity washed over me. “I…I know that man…but how?” It took two seconds more. “NO WAY MAN.”

Wait, hold on though…he’s somewhere else too. Something more recent. Like…very recent. Ahhhh, that’s right. “Bai Bai Fight.”

Someone even shared…behind-the-scenes content?

This man has lived in the nooks of my mind for years, yet thanks to King & Prince and now know his name. He’s Mekdachi Khalil, and the actor / narrator has quite the prolific career, from appearances in movies to TV shows to NHK learning segments. According to this interview, he’s also a pretty prolific interpreter for news programs focused on the Middle East. What a career…thank you King & Prince for reminding me of him.

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News And Views

• Last week, it seemed like everyone thought matsuri ‘25, the CEIPA-backed showcase of modern J-pop in Los Angeles, went well. Turns out some disagreed, sorta. Primarily Takuya Chigira, the head and founder of artist management company Cloud Nine, who tweeted out that he felt “disappointed” about it in part due to the size of the venue given that it featured YOASOBI, Atarashii Gakko! and his company’s main client Ado. He goes on to write that he wants to see events geared towards local crowds rather than Japanese people. This all went viral, prompting him to walk it back a bit.
  
  Lots to unpack here. First off, bless Chigira for becoming J-pop’s wildcard, as this is the second time in 2025 he’s gone under the microscope for his outspoken takes on the industry (last time was complaining about how much of modern music is tied to anime). Next, I kind of get where he’s coming from in a very literal sense — every artist involved in matsuri ‘25 has already played bigger venues / stages than the Peacock Theater, and Ado in particularly is gearing up for a world tour taking her to truly biggie-sized arenas. Dude is clearly a little loose with his words — more fun for us! — but I actually think his main point isn’t far off base.
  
  Which actually leads to a bigger issue central to his argument that I do agree with. I can’t speak to whether the matsuri ‘25 crowd was predominantly Japanese or not, but where I think Chigira is coming from (or perhaps I’m just using his perspective to share my own worries, especially as someone technically assisting with a CEIPA project) is a justified fear that the concert was just an attempt for the Japanese government and music industry to pat itself on the back. “Look what we did, great job!” I don’t align with all of Chigira’s views — his “anime music” screed was, honestly, pretty dumb — but this I certainly agree with, and think his efforts to turn Ado into a bonafide star underline where he’s coming from. It’s the one shadow hanging over the 2025 development of the Japanese government becoming proactive in promoting J-pop — will they actually push it further, or just take some of the shine?
  

• You know who could perhaps help on this front? A musician who becomes a politician. Well, maybe that is possible. Nariaki Obukuro, who just put out a great album, announced he’s running for mayor of Saitama City, according to Natalie. He’s told me in the past regarding artists commenting on world events “if you seriously want to solve the problem, you have to study extremely hard and become a politician.” Practicing what he preaches!
  

• Concert promoter Kyodo Osaka found itself in deserved boiling water last week. A woman who attended a concert organized by the company was groped by another customer, yet her complaints to staff at livehouse Namba Hatch resulted in…nothing happening, with them allegedly urging her not to contact police. She shared the experience online, to which Kyodo responded in their own post countering her. This did not go well, and they offered a new statement closer to an apology.
  
  Netizens weren’t too happy about any of this, and in the process discovered what looks like Kyodo Osaka using bots to hype up their work. Seriously, one user saw a bunch of posts complimenting the company…but with “[artist name” being where an actual human would say the name of the band.
  

• Fujii Kaze to appear at Lollapalooza. Otoboke Beaver will also be there.
  

• Virtual artist corner! First off, signer KAF will make her U.S. debut at Anime Central this May. Full disclosure — I do English-language PR for her, and that means I will also be going to Chicago for this show. If you are around, say hi!
  

• Kizuna AI signs with Asobisystem.
  

• I talked with hololive CEO Motoaki Tanigo for The Japan Times, about the business of virtual YouTubers and the company’s plans for the future. One thing we touched on was the importance of partnerships, which is something the agency does very well in Japan…
  

• …as this week saw Hoshimachi Suisei take part in a McDonald’s campaign also featuring Ado and YOASOBI.
  

• Though that wasn’t the only one, as Usada Pekora appears (as a voice, though the character is also clearly her) in a Playstation campaign…also featuring YOASOBI.

• I talked to AKKOGORILLA about the year’s best album yet for scrmbl.
  

• Anime Expo to hold huge anime-centric music festival. Don’t tell the Cloud Nine guy!
  

• The people in charge of a “street piano” in Osaka shared a request for people to stop practicing on the street piano after complaints from people sick of hearing bad players. Kind of defeats the purpose of a street piano open to everyone!
  

• Batten Girls has more members now.
  

• Naomi Watanabe interviewed Lady Gaga.
  

Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Check out the Best Of 2025 Spotify Playlist here!