Haruno steps towards the spotlight on these pair of recent releases. The artist has previously used Vocaloid singing as a base while in recent months has switched up to more beat-oriented instrumental chill outs. But now Haruno is making their vocals (presumably) go to the center on numbers that opt for mid-tempo pop. “Broadcast” came out last week, and offers something approaching slink from Haruno. Over a beat and some synth squiggles, Haruno delivers an English-language verse darted with regret that gets obscured by the generally bouncy music around it. Listen above.
“Terminal Center” unfolds at an even slower pace, Haruno going for lazy-day R&B allowing plenty of space for their voice to take off…although they ultimately choose to keep it a bit on the muted and fuzzy side, accenting it with piano melodies and a few well-timed anime samples. It’s as easygoing as a 2 p.m. riverside stroll, but also comes a little too close to replicating the inert instrumentals serving as their weakest work to date. “Terminal Center” is background, while “Broadcast” shows a way to move forward towards something interesting. Listen to “Terminal Center” below.