Kindan No Tasuketsu aren’t afraid to dig into their song catalog and keep exploring. “Twilight” has existed in other forms and versions before, but recently the group gave it a winter rework via a “Bell Rings Ver.),” which…well, adds a lot of bell sounds. The emotional core of the song remains intact, though, as does…
Had you told me that Ladybaby would have gone on one of the stranger routes in recent J-pop memory, I wouldn’t have believed you. What started as a dippy meme in the wake of viral success via the likes of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Babymetal became a surprisingly dramatic divorce, wherein the hulking Australian wrestler…
For me, a lot of Japanese rap ends up the missing mark not because artists are taking heavy cues from American artists, but because they forget to build from that base and find their own voice (which, funny enough, is a trapping of artists around the world, and in America too). It doesn’t take long…
In recent times, Seiho has been exploring space. Last year’s Collapse and March’s “Unreal” single allowed for stretches with plenty of room to stretch out, often for experimentation. On “Purple Smoke,” he shifts the other way, with exhilarating results. The single — rounded out by two other songs — opens with wisps of noise, but…
Acting surprised that a label describing itself as “a platform for free expression” released a skittery pop song seems silly, considering they can do whatever they want. Free expression! But still, up until Midnight Cult has primarily leaned towards darker juke collections, including a set from Traxman and a 2017 highlight via Weezy. “Lonly You”…