Don’t call it a chill out. Group2 have been embracing wonkier and at times confrontational stances since releasing indie-pop gems via Ano(t)raks, but for “Ceremony” they slow everything down a notch. As a first taste of their forthcoming debut full-length, it might be a bit unrepresentative of what they’ve done up until now — it’s a little slower, more a stroll than a skip, and lacks the sudden detours that marked earlier releases. But it isn’t predictable, and it definitely isn’t Group2’s switch to neo City Pop. They might relax a little bit, but that loopy synth melody alone adds a bit of uneasiness to the song. Which is on point. Listen above.
Category Archives: Music
New Nemui PJ: “Many Times We Hoped”
The team of Noah and Kidkanevil return as Nemui PJ for a special Halloween treat. “Many Times We Hoped” came out today to celebrate the spookiest day of the year and it sounds…well, not like something you’d associate with Oct. 31 specifically. Rather, it is just a new Nemui PJ song, built around soft chimes and Noah’s voice, which eventually turns into a cascading wall of Noah’s, blanketing an already fuzzy number even further. Get it here, or listen below.
New Spangle Call Lilli Line: “Therefore”
Plenty of bands are consistent, but Spangle Call Lilli Line manage something far more rare — being deceivingly consistent. Over their career, they’ve experimented a lot and practically changed their sonic palette every album, yet it doesn’t feel like they are constantly tinkering because they also have a strong voice that comes through in whatever they do. New song “Therefore” is as good an example of this you’ll find. It features details that only pop up sporadically in the band’s music —- loopy electronic details that give it a zoned-out feel, alternating male-female vocals, ever-shifting tempos. This all makes for a number that’s far more shifty than anything else they’ve put out in recent years, but it feels every bit them, mainly thanks to the way the vocals stroll through the song and everything feels like someone thinking things over on a long walk. Listen above.
Listen To New Mameyudofu And Psyqui Songs From The Latest Megarex Compilation
Another M3 has come and gone, and that means a steady trickle of electronic music is going to appear online over…well, the next couple of months? One of the immediate highlights in the wake of this gathering comes from Megarex, whose latest compilation features a lot of names that get us excited. They aren’t all online — but the ones that are hit hard. Let’s start with Mameyudofu, mostly because it also provides a chance to catch up with them. Two years ago, they were making shiny Vocaloid-accented music. But now, they’ve transitioned to…well a lot of different styles. We missed this month’s My Spring Break Doodles, which is closer to the electro-pop bounce of Mameyudofu’s earlier work, albeit with a little more bounce to it. Highly recommend that one, but also take a listen to “Eyes On The Stars,” a number that ratchets up everything significantly, at least after a build-up centered around robo voices. Then it bursts open. Listen above.
Psyqui contributes two songs to the comp, meanwhile. The first feels more like an intro to the collection as a whole, although it really goes into overdrive later in its runtime. Better still is “Raise Your Hands” featuring Such, a speedy number working in bleepy vocal stutters, violin and some great bass notes. A great rush of energy, listen below.
Time And Space: Haretokidoki’s “Kiss Me”
A whole bunch of trends collide together via Haretokidoki’s “Kiss Me,” and this post could be nothing but a connect-the-dots affair. You’ve got the unit itself, which finds producer Brinq working with a woman named Misatsun, in a style not far removed from recent examples like Applekid and Cheap Cream. Then factor in the duo’s decision to lean towards ’80s dance-pop (check the SoundCloud tags on this one), mixed in with some vaguely retro anime art that probably has whoever put together that “La La La Love Song” clip clapping. Everything is happening, at once!
But it’s easy not to get caught up on that because “Kiss Me” the song ends up being far more than thinkbait. While the synthesizer shimmers and bass rumble are pure Bubble Era, Haretokidoki don’t make it sound aged, rather letting everything come off loud and clear without any tricks to score easy nostalgia. Most immediate for me is just how busy it is, along with how Misatsun’s vocals have a faint digital feel to them, like they’ve been grazed by Vocaloid technology. Also, those sing-speak passages. The overall impact is something that feels out of time, wanting to capture the past but aware that, well, it’s in the now. And it’s so catchy! Who needs to dwell on trends when you have a song so alive? Listen above.