Make Believe Melodies For March 31, 2025
Be On The Look Out For April Fool's Stuff In The Near Future, tuki. Almost Got Me
iga — our
The latest EP from Fukui-born artist iga plays out like a travelogue. The title track finds our protagonist asking someone to go on a trip, and the subsequent songs feature names of train stations and cities dotting this brief fever-dream of a release. It’s not a linear journey, but rather a disorienting jaunt marked by references to anime characters, fashion brands and booze. Everything — especially the relationships setting it in motion — feel lost or fleeting. “You’ll disappear someday,” goes an early line on the distorted chug of “our,” and that mindset hovers over this release.
Lyrically, it’s a messy splatter of memories held together by a feeling of longing for what was and an understanding of the transience of everything, which iga captures both with his rap-sing vocals and the music around them. The title track stands as the highlight, jittery rock with a club edge that feels always on edge of evaporating, a fitting match for a song about eventual endings. On “ghost,” iga calls on Telematic Visions to create an electronic wooze over which they can explore their mind’s recesses, while closer “toy” leans into rock to offer a particularly soaring and adolescence farewell to it all. Listen above, or get it here.
Kizuna AI — “mazaru”
Virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI woke from her digi slumber and immediately got with the times by phoning up a member of PAS TASTA. Following the heart-on-sleeve return of “kamone,” she shares the heart-skittering “mazaru” which receives a jittery assist from Phritz, an accomplished artist in his own right and a member of the premier J-pop mad scientists going now. They help give “mazaru” a nervous energy reflected by its beat, which provides butterflies to AI’s more grounded singing and turns it thrilling at the bridge. Listen above.
Yuri — “Suki”
The team of Yuri and Sasuke Haraguchi excel at balance. The prior brings an elastic pop vocal versatility, while the latter offers an experimental bend focused on just how weird sound can get without turning into pure goo. “Suki” might be the pair’s most accessible song yet, with Yuri hop-scotching over the verses before hitting one of her catchiest hooks to date, and Haraguchi keeping the clanging to the post-chorus segments, with a few other off-kilter details scattered throughout (catch the weird little vocal manipulations bumping the melody off). Listen above.
Various Artists — SPRAYDEPOT Vol. 3
SPRAYBOX coming through with an assortment of body-movers to get the spring off to a strong start. This collection moves at a particularly swift pace, apt for those ready to jump into the new season with no reservations. Get it here, or listen above.
Various Artists — Hokkaido University Light Music Omnibus 2024
A compilation gathering assorted student music projects from Hokkaido University is going to feature hits and misses…but you have to applaud everyone involved for giving it the old college try. Plus…the highs are really fascinating looks into the young-adult soundscapes of Japan. Check the staggering rock of willows “Neko No Theme,” or the dreamy karaoke-room laments of rusty’s “pompeii,” or the sweet jazz-tinged slow dance courtesy of momdadmefriends’ “Rayquaza.” Get it here, or listen above.
the hatch — “Tohmei”
Speaking of northern Japan — I’ve yet to venture into writing about the hatch, a Sapporo project thriving on disjointed rhythms drawing from global sounds but united by a post-punk ethos. You might not know this if you primarily learn about Japanese indie rock from newsletters and social media…but this band actually draws some divisive responses, at least based on my real-world chats. Some think they are the vanguard of the underground, others think not so much. I’m excitedly in the middle, enjoying them in small doses but finding their clanging style exhausting over the course of an album.
New song “Tohmei” is just a loosie, which works wonders! It’s also less overly aggressive than a lot of the hatch’s catalog and more interested in exploring how rhythm can work with more rumbling melodies. The swaying guitar lines eventually meet an Africa-indebted percussive element that actually draws tension from the music rather than just offer chaos, which makes the final stretch of locked-in guitar play all the more effective. Listen above.
Filix Wang — Osakana Tengoku
The “hyperpop” space of modern Tokyo thrives on friendships and collaborations, and that’s something very clear on the latest EP from Filix Wang. They can work well alone — opener “Iruka” is a nervous garage-indebted number featuring references to the dead zone between Ikejiri-ohashi and Sangenjaya that sets the pace well — but the best moments of Osakana Tengoku come when they link up with scene staples Lilniina for a high-BPM bedroom rave and BAILEFUNK KAKEKO for fragmented release bordering on the claustrophobic. Listen above.
King & Prince — “LIFE is FUSHIGI”
I spent all of Oricon Trail last week being like “King & Prince’s new song…it’s fine,” but turns out going a little deeper into the release reveals the gold they are prone to stumble across as of late. “LIFE is FUSHIGI” is pure goofball rush, beginning with fake Plastics-like techno-rock before turning into an Electrical Light 100-Meter Dash, full of neon-bright synths and nervy percussion. There’s even a twinkly breakdown embedded within — when these two want to, they can get pretty out there for J-pop. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of March 17, 2025 To March 23, 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.
SixTONES — “BARRIER” (363,211 Copies Sold)
I applaud any male pop group going anywhere in the world credit if they avoid overcooking a single. No extra rap seasoning, no genre garnish existing just to show you can afford two Swedes to produce the song, no pots-and-pans rattling that went stale about five years ago. SixTONES gives us ready-to-order edible dance-pop, with the only dash of flavor being a vaguely jazzy breakdown matching the groove of the song. Would I ever order this dish again? No. But I will also enjoy my one meal with it, unlike plenty of other dishes in the space. Listen above.
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News And Views
Glenn Peoples over at Billboard has a look at the greater efforts to bring J-pop to the world stage that’s an interesting read. It’s a very business and industry focused story so I’ll push aside my dorky music fan opinions to the side — I’m happy J-pop doesn’t sound like anything else and wish it could always have room for like PeterParker69, but I am also aware nobody should base a marketing strategy off my take — to say that most of it rings true…especially as someone (full disclosure) working in CEIPA’s orbit who gets weird glimpses into this effort. A great overview to big developments that have definitely appeared in the past six months.
And hey, let’s add another one! Teichiku Entertainment has entered a new “comprehensive partnership” with music company Believe to help distribute the long-running Japanese label’s music to the world. I feel safe in saying this has come about because of the potential Japanese music has shown as of late, and follows a few other high-profile collaborations between Japanese agencies and international-minded players.
Creepy Nuts and SIRUP going to 88rising’s Head in the Clouds festival in Guangzhou.
Back in 2023 I wrote around these parts about how Western pop acts had to engage with the local market if they hoped to have success in the second-largest music market in the world. Sabrina Carpenter presents another interesting case of how diminished American pop is in the 21st century — a big name in the States, she’s nearly non-existent in Japan and, to my knowledge, has never visited the country. Yet she’s making plays on this side of the world — her hit (and best song) “Espresso” will serve as the theme to a new drama series, which is a smart way to introduce yourself to the market. I’m surprised more artists don’t try this — Chappell Roan could benefit from a good TV placement!
VTuber interlude #1 of the week: Hoshimachi Suisei’s video for “Caramel Pain” is like the Duck Amuck of work-from-home jobs.
I’ve walked by this fancy-ass house a bunch but never realized it belonged to a pioneering Japanese music writer, pretty neat.
I profiled NHK’s new children’s show The Wakey Show for The Japan Times. There’s a heavy music component…including the fact the main character is like a DJ (played by the singer of a pop-rock band).
I’ll be honest, I very briefly fell for an early April Fool’s joke from tuki., wherein she announced a suspension of her activities. Good bit, though also be on the look out folks.
VTuber interlude #2: ReGloss held a big ol’ virtual concert that took advantage of the 3-D space to do silly things.
One of the breakout stars of 2025 thus far in Japan has been 7co, and Natalie has an interview with her.
VTuber interlude (but actually a finale) #3: here’s a VTuber covering Jun Togawa.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Check out the Best Of 2025 Spotify Playlist here!
Yay it's Hokudai omnibus season!