Always up for writing about songs that exist in the current “city pop revival era,” but which actually sound closer to the ’80s style given that name than the more laid-back stuff getting that tag today. Takahiro Miyoshi’s bouncy “Cheap” is a solid bit of mid-tempo throwback rendered through synths I’d expect on the Earthbound soundtrack, albeit one colored by modern Tokyo — he frequently refers to the sci-fi nature of the city’s high-rise mansions, and also riffing on the title, which reveals this song is a bit tongue-in-cheek with its words). It exists in the same universe as PellyColo’s recent work, and bless it for that. Listen above.
