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Bad As They Wanna Be: Sekis & Dike’s More Beer EP

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DJ Assualt they aren’t, but duo Sekis & Dike inject a little bit of edge into their juke EP More Beer. The criss-crossing beats and vocal snippets remain, but this time they are on the funny, PG-13 side. “Candy Pop” slides forward on buzzer sounds and a guy talking about crack, everything gelling together to form an energetic number on the border of ghettotech. Later songs bring on guests, and really just get the most out of repeated phrases over mechanic beats. Solid, with a fun side. Get it here, or listen below.

New Haruno: “Currant”

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It’s that time of the year, where we start looking slightly back on the good releases of 2018’s first half. Producer Haruno’s Vocaloid-powered set Filia is one of the last six month’s nicer surprises, and it’s great to see them checking back in with “Currant.” What starts as a pleasant-enough bit of pop quickly turns comes the chorus with the beat picking up and the synthesizer wobbling off. And like on the full-length from earlier in the calendar, the way they use Vocaloid — letting the digital edges show — meshes well with the music itself. Listen above.

New Maidable: Slumber / Doze

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The latest release from producer Maidable isn’t as sleepy as the song titles suggest. “Slumber” opens with shimmering synth chimes but quickly introduces a beat, though it moves at a groggy pace, like someone wandering a hall for a midnight snack. But then Maidable picks up the speed and turns the song into a skippy one that mutates over six minutes to find just the right balance between bouncy and relaxing. “Doze” offers something more skittery, offsetting the beat with sampled voices moaning off deeper in the mix, adding a tension to the song. Rounding it out, DJ Dai offers two more energetic remixes of the tracks for those who just want to get into it. Get it here, or listen below.

Loud And Clear: Memoryhook’s I Whisper It

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Nagoya duo Memoryhook deal in small moments that feel big. The new group — founded this year, going off of social media — crafts heart-on-sleeve indie-pop that refuses to be fragile. They have too much energy spread out across debut release I Whisper It to warrant that adjective. Just listen to the bounce of “My Heart,” which conceals ennui under a chipper tempo and lovely backing “ahhhhhs.” The slower “To You” still waltzes ahead, building up to a shivery wordless stretch that ends the album on a high note, while only opener “Why” moves at half speed. That one is followed up by a slinky cover of Men I Trust’s “Lauren,” a nod to their influences. One to keep close tabs on. Get it here, or listen below.

Historic Listen: Hello, Wendy!’s “Revolution”

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Nostalgia comes up a lot in discussions of music around these parts, because looking back and drawing (or straight-up using) the past has felt pretty central to a lot of music / culture globally in recent times. Synth-pop quartet Hello, Wendy! offer up something closer to a history lesson. At least partially the idea of Buffalo Daughter’s Yumiko Ohno, the idea of this project sits right in the name — this is early synth music celebration. “Revolution” is less of a Powerpoint lesson than previous covers of “Computer Love” and various classical compositions (not to mention the original breakthrough in voice synthesis) but rather an original composition showing the group’s ability to create compelling music from synths. Check the moments where all the voices blur together, and the extended jamming later on. Listen above.