“Long Goodbye” is a simple one, but like a lot of the better indie-pop that comes out of Kansai, has an ability to really stick around in your head if you let it. Hayato Narahara (of the band Kanatato) creates an easygoing groove — one recalling the resort-side tempo of City Pop, though the recording limitations Narahara face keep this from sounding quite as unnervingly polished — highlighted by a sparkling keyboard line and an ever-present fizz in the back. Yet all that hides an ennui that comes across in the vocals — and reading the lyrics reveals the sort of snapshot of a melancholy day that’s ever-present in this sort of music — which makes it hang around all the more. Listen above.
