Collective AR30 always finds a way to put together seasonal compilations that end up being suitable for their respective months — or at least make said period of time a touch more enjoyable. Winter Compilation 2018 gives this cold stretch of the year a nice, woozy soundtrack with enough action to keep bodies warm. Yuichi…
There was a time when Saitama-based outfit Boys Age released songs on a weekly basis, and dropped albums just as quickly. Over the last year, the project has slowed down and taken its time putting out new material, and it has managed to make the songs that do appear all the more urgent. Which is…
J-pop is a mess right now. The biggest challenge at the moment is sifting through everything to figure out just what’s going on, and if you zeroed in squarely on what charts say is doing well, I wouldn’t blame you for feeling underwhelmed. Yet dive into the vast middle and you’ll find all sorts of…
Tokyo’s Yahyel have a new album out this spring, titled Human. “Pale” is the latest look at their sophomore album, and it underlines the elements of the band that make them stand out from similarly tipped groups coming out of the capital. Musically, “Pale” features a lot of the unnerving touches that have always crept…
Osaka artist Le Makeup’s recent Life Intonation EP feels like part compliment to last year’s Hyper Earthy, and also a bit of a stab at wider recognition. The six songs gathered here and put out at the very end of January build on the soft meditations he pivoted too last year, using splashes of guitar,…