Yukio Nohara teams up with Pee. J Anderson for an understated disco cut. Nothing too complex with this one — the pair start simple with a beat and a bass line, slowly adding a few other elements. Yet they never go overboard with it, as the bulk of “Floresta” revolves around the same two pieces…
Noise can be escape, but it can also be confining. Early on, it feels like the latest from Okinawa Electric Girl Saya and AX might go too hard on the intense stuff. “Red Noise” and “Vacuum” lean into feedback, creating these blasts that would fit at home in any “Japanoise” show going down at an…
“Inner Odyssey” aims to figure itself out, though the journey itself really does end up being the highlight. Artist MON/KU has dabbled in the disorienting and downright suffocating, but here they get a bit more playful. With singing coated in digital effects, MON/KU slithers through the slight electronic backdrop, just trying things out until a…
Big week for rapper Nate, involved in two of the best songs released out of Japan over the last seven days. She takes centerstage on “Reflects My Self,” a woozy number that finds her sing-rapping (and adding in some delightful ad libs) over a rippling electronic beat close to Local Visions’ brand of out-of-time-ness. It…
“Kimi No Youni Ikiretara” is made for the tender-hearted teen lurking within. Universe Nekoko have been students of shoegaze and indie-pop since starting out, but this release finds them just nailing the feeling just right. Maybe I’m just getting a bit too wistful for youth, but “Kimi” captures that sense of longing lurking underneath waves…