Blanked Out: Chelmico’s “Junejuly”

Maybe because I just turned 28 last week and this is just what happens, or maybe I’m just stupid, but I swear I wrote about rap duo Chelmico earlier this summer. But, unless Google gobbled this imagined post up, I did not, which is lame of me! Chelmico consists of rappers MC Mamico and MC Rachel, and they debuted in Tokyo last year, and have mostly performed around the capital since then. They shared their first song, “Labyrinth ’97,” earlier this summer, and it is the one I thought I wrote about but nope. It features the sort of saxophone solo you’d expect to hear on an old City Pop cut (or an Especia single), but trackmaker (and Trekkie Trax affiliate) Hiiragi Page dials back when it comes time for the two to rhyme in a bouncy tag-team way. Listen below.

Their second cut, though, is a bit of a shift sonically, to say the least. “Junejuly” (top of page) finds Page back on track making duties, but this time he channels Pa’s Lam System — specifically, I’m getting hints of “Like A Lady” here — but whereas Pa’s transforms into frantic dancefloor crushers, “Junejuly” is designed to be a bit more open so Chelmico can rap. As busy as the music can get, MC Mamico and MC Rachel bring a laid-back vibe to the proceedings, making for some nice fast-slow tension. Also, credit to the duo rapping about bubblebaths before the familiar SoundCloud-sound of a bubble popping plays — and the song transforms into a Jersey Club bouncer. Listen above.