Make Believe Melodies For May 6, 2025

SoundCloud Bubbling Up

nyamura — Another Seraph

Another Seraph captures an era of Japanese music centered on SoundCloud from all angles. The debut album from nyamura — herself a creator inspired to create thanks to woozy rap-indebted internet uploads — comes after she scored a viral hit with the 2023 sad rattle of “you are my curse.” It was the moment a spotlight fell on a corner of online music built around the aforementioned platform, Auto-tune soaked rap, anime melancholy, hyperpop fuzz and a general angst at modern life.

Outside of maybe Tohji’s ascent from .wav files to arenas, “you are my curse” served as this corner of Japanese music’s biggest moment to date. It accordingly offered an easy summary of what it was all about: sadness, longing, sorrowful beats, a general glumness. As should be expected, a single viral number couldn’t capture what the SoundCloud-centric set is all about. Another Seraph shines by offering a more well-rounded look at one of the last decade’s most exciting scenes.

This community isn’t all bad feelings and moody anime characters, but about building on the artistic freedom the internet hinted at during peak netlabel days. For nyamura, it’s a chance to become a mutant-pop singer on “Cho Digital Cho Detox” agaisnt a typically squirmy electro-chug courtesy of Sasuke Haraguchi” or let loose over a swift KOTONOHOUSE beat with rinahamu on the dashing “S.O.S.G.A.L.” There’s of course space for the heavier vibes on the glassy rattle of “Cat Reincarnation” or the deceptively cheery chimes of “Istumade Tattemo,” yet also room for the upbeat and escapist…even if those moments of joy hide pain alongside it. That’s the right way to view the space nyamura comes from, and how it continues to stand out today. Listen above.

paica — Echoes Of Reality

Where does the above very-online music community in Japan go moving forward? The first extended release from paica offers a clue, and the answer is “ethereal rave.” Channeling a corner of club music that helped shaped the sonic palette of nyamura’s SoundCloud generation, the three songs here find her voice ringing out over bleary-eyed dance aiming for transcendence while still being open to staring down heavier feelings. Assisted by driving music produced by creators including SPRAYBOX co-founder DC Mizey and Another Seraph contributor KAIRUI, paica offers an invigorating set for the soul and body. Listen above.

Manaka Featuring Lilniina — “lol”

You can also capture the above rush in about three minutes and 20 seconds.

Former Little Glee Monster member Manaka’s new Pretty Machine Gun EP is a fun little listen, featuring the Jersey Club bounce of “Tapping” and a few other explorations of the hip-hop landscape. Here’s the standout, though, finding her teaming up with another SoundCloud-based breakout name in Lilniina for a delirious dance-rap number about the rush of friendship (complete with Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan shout outs). On the feelings front, it’s a celebration of connection, made all the more ecstatic thanks to the buzz carrying it forward. Listen above.

tamanaramen — Clover EP

A whisper can be just as urgent as a shout. The best moments on duo tamanaramen’s latest EP come across hushed, but feature a nervous energy that makes the sonic minimalism they gravitate towards feel anything but wispy. That’s thanks to how the pair use percussive skitters to keep songs moving forward, which when coupled with the quieter delivery creates something feeling nervous and at times giddy. Listen above.

House Of Tapes — Paradise Lost / Another World

The latest two-track offering from Nagoya’s House Of Tapes finds new ways to deliver familiar unnerving energy. “Paradise Lost” does so primarily through warped vocals set against electronic burbles and piano melodies begging for horror film placement, while “Another World” does it with a more scrunching sound, not quite as constrictive as previous releases from the producer but still carrying a heaviness bearing down as the song fidgets ahead. Listen above, or get it here.

Mulasaki Ima — “That Classmate”

I’ll eventually have to do a deeper dive into Mulasaki Ima, who is responsible for one of those viral hits helping to define the new era of J-pop on the global stage and who released a really fascinating full-length debut earlier this spring. “That Classmate” follows said album, and focuses on…the unexpected coolness another adolescent at your school has, revealing new fascination within our protagonist. That’s made even better when set against hoppy rock stutters clearly inspired by Soutaiseiriron, but with slightly more bite come the chorus rather than that group’s mysterious edge. Listen above.

Hikaru Utada — “Mine or Yours”

Timely observations and reminders of the era they find themselves have always appeared in Hikaru Utada’s music. It’s both a source of charm and embarrassment — the details about Netflix and UberEats helping to make BAD MODE so lived-in aren’t far remain from the Winona Ryder and Blackberry references featured in mocking meme compilations. It’s the challenge any pop star faces, especially one drawing from their times like Utada does — how to capture the moment in a way that won’t sound clunky decades down the line.

Newest single “Mine or Yours¹” plays out like something the listener is eavesdropping in on a private conversation, about what people should eat and what kind of beverage they’d like to enjoy while hanging out. That’s joined by more reflective thoughts on relationships gone sour and growth achieved, all set over a relatively easy-going mid-tempo melody avoiding the wooziness of BAD MODE for something more classically pop.

Within all of this is one very-Utada line perfect for this song but also distracting from it too. “How many years into the Reiwa era / will fufu-bessei be legalized in this country?”

Referring to the practice of married couples with different surnames, which is still a reality in Japan and very much a contentious political issue, the line has caused somewhat of a stir online in the country since “Mine or Yours” came out, albeit in a way best summed up as “articles about how people are saying different things about it on X.” Some people say it’s great! Others…not so much! Not particularly compelling, but that’s how it goes

It’s undeniably a statement by Utada to include the lyric in “Mine or Yours,” yet I think it functions more as the political becoming personal. The line comes after a chorus about food and drink options, and a very BAD MODE observation about all the paths one doesn’t choose on life’s path. If the song is part conversation — between Utada and lover, Utada and ex, Utada and Utada —  this line feels like a chat about current events, one carrying extra weight given the context of a song about the routes we go down and the ones we avoid. It’s not far off from the lyrical details — cringe or cozy — long peppering their work, reflecting the world they create in which adds an extra spice to it all. Listen above.

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Oricon Trail For The Week Of April 21, 2025 To April 27, 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.

&TEAM — “Go In Blind” (415,166 Copies Sold)

I devoted all of last week’s round-up to the new era of idols in Japan, and hey they do pop up this week on Oricon! The new CANDY TUNE song about slowly going crazy because of fandom debuted at number two. Yet it’s a very distant silver medalist when compared to the top spot, serving as a tidy reminder that the male side of the idol spectrum is at a whole other level of popularity.

Beyond that, I appreciate the latest from &TEAM opting for a more rock-grounded sound rather than the clang-clang-clang of contemporary K-pop and J-pop dudes. It reminds me of SixTONES, at least the times when that group embraces rock theatrics to deliver more dramatic pop. “Go In Blind” isn’t quite as thrilling, but mixing up the sonic palette is always welcome.

News And Views

• Long-running idol outfit Tokyo Girls’ Style announced that they will disband in just under a year’s time. First, credit to a project in this lane lasting since 2009 — created to catch the wave of the then-emerging AKB-and-Momoiro-powered idol wave — and really being way ahead of various trends, whether that be an early adoption of “city pop” sleekness before that was even blowing up Tumblr hashtags or the entire Maltine Girls Wave project. I even interviewed them way back in the day! Expect more looks-back as the end of the group gets nearer, but for now just enjoy some tunes.

• Mrs. GREEN APPLE announce big ol’ dome tour for later in the year. I also forgot to mention they are doing a special summer collaboration with Tokyo Disneyland that will see a lot of music be used in park. I uhhhhh also might like their newest song, I’m still working it out though (oh no, mutated vocals, they figured me out).
  

• The latest reminder of the radical new era of J-pop playing out right now — SixTONES has brought its music to streaming. Again, the agency they are part of seemed universally against this a decade ago, but the times they have a changed.
  

• SixTONES also bringing variety shows to Netflix.
  

• Wrote about J-pop’s first big viral hit of the year for scrmbl, which is holding strong at three on the Spotify Viral 50.
  

• Huge interview with Toshiki Kadomatsu!
  

• Sonicmania got really good, with the latest editions.
  

• Pitchfork gives POiSON GiRL FRiEND the Sunday Review treatment.
  

• Bad Bunny prepping a show in Japan next year.
  

• I do not care for this 60 Minutes segment about Japan’s birth rate, as it could have been made in 2015 (and probably should have stayed there), however it does feature the dude who married Hatsune Miku (referred here as “Miku”) resulting in some hilarious shots of Miku’s face next to the show’s logo, like she’s being interviewed about fracking.

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

1. Full disclosure: I work with a company that handles Utada’s English-language PR, meaning I have a closer connection with this song. BUT I actually did not hear an advance copy of it so I experienced it for the first time via THE FIRST TAKE…meaning everything I’m about to write was a surprise to me too.