New group Lucky Tapes – fronted by Kai Takahashi – have their debut EP out now, and here’s another taste of the laid-back group’s sound. “In Paris” is an especially Sunday-morning-in-bed-ready song, a slow groover of a number that adds sweet vocal dollops behind Takahashi’s love talk. Listen below.
Oyubi flexes a bit of range on newest song “Dark Bedroom.” The young producer has earned a lot of looks thanks to their take on Chicago-born juke music in the last couple of years, but for this post-midnight number they jump across the pond and take cues from British 2-step. “Dark Bedroom” drifts between intimidating…
Plenty of outfits in Japan aim for a throwback feel, with varying results – sometimes they nail it, sometimes they should stick to making music videos. Alloapm more often than not get it right, and the just-uploaded Boy EP features two tracks that completely capture the project at its very best. One of those numbers,…
Albino thrives on a sense of intimacy. The Japanese artist — who doesn’t reveal much info about where she is or how long she’s been creating music — creates a warm escape on her latest song “Hidden Place,” a dreamy number that sounds like it is folding over itself. Everything unfolds at a syrupy pace,…
The past couple of years have seen plenty of Western artists drawn to Japanese sounds — from digging through city pop to seeking out rare Japanese “ambient” records. At times, it has felt a bit one sides, but recently there have been some encouraging signs of communication on both sides. See French producer Moe Shop’s…
Indie-pop outfit Mariana In Our Heads have a new album out this December, and the first track from it leaves us with something already wistful. “September” unfolds at a pleasant rate, guided on by washes of synthesizer, some guitar and pleasant bongo touches, but this backdrop only makes the melancholy at the heart of the…
Here is something a bit more slow-burning from Nagoya outfit Pop-Office. They’ve taken their time before, but “Objects” feels especially reflective, featuring guitar melodies that bring to mind…gulp…a ballad. Yet Pop-Office don’t get too sugary, with the vocals still drifting off in the back, obscured by the feedback-dappled guitar. Dramatic, but still featuring the smudges…