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Just A Bit Of Crunch: Shogo Nomura’s “Sweets Have A Dream”

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Intricate electronic freakouts might be the new wave in Japanese music. Shogo Nomura’s second album Sweets Have A Dream teases some cuteness but never settles for just that, as the songs here are closer to the twist-a-minute creations that someone like Hakushi Hasegawa has started getting looks for. Skittering breakbeats interact with bell chimes and keyboard chirps, while “Cotton Candy!” subverts the kawaii notes by moving at a quick pace. Nomura works best when just sprinting ahead, as on the jazzy workout of “Midnight Gallop,” or the 8-bit-sporting “Space Magic Fantasy.” Nomura thrives on barreling ahead, but that blast comes from clever songwriting that isn’t worried about showing how intricate it is, but rather focused on the rush. Get it here, or listen below.

New Caro Kissa: “Retake”

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Main thing to understand with this one — it isn’t all retakes of existing songs from the indie-pop duo Caro Kissa. Only one number, closer “Perfect Dream,” is a re-imagining of an existing number from the group. That makes this short but sweet release all the better though, as listeners get three jaunty new numbers from the band. The energy — and slight oddball energy — comes right away on opener “Swamp Fish!,” a sunny little number featuring some lovely keyboard melodies, guitar riffs and shouts of the titular creature. “Mirror” loads up on synth to give the song a buzzing edge, while “Moonlight Flit” slows down ever so slightly to create a post-midnight stroll on par with most city pop revivalism. Listen above, or seek it out on your preferred streaming service.

Just The Right Cute: Wotoha’s “Cobalt Dreams”

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The right amount of cute can be tricky to pull off in music. The “kawaii bass” wave of the last few years has mostly receded, but twinkly dance-pop numbers still appear frequently, and they can just be too much, relying on high-pitched singing and an abundance of playroom-ready sounds instead of a good idea. Wotoha has fallen for this before with the recent “Jelly Girl,” a number that just gets too busy without making that cloistering environment pay off. “Cobalt Dreams” offers something much more efficient. Wotoha uses space to build up to the moment where the 8-bit notes rush in and the bells really chime off. It’s never too much, and “Cobalt Dreams” features quick detours into EDM-friendly bass swirls to avoid burn out. Listen above.

Paperkraft And Stones Taro Release “Rally Hard” EP

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Voices come to the forefront on this split EP between NC4K mainstays Paperkraft and Stones Taro. Samples of singing and of humans just generally generating noise have popped up in their releases, but the Rally Hard EP pushes them to the front in a way that none of the other releases from the label has done, at least off the top of my head. Stones Taro’s “Breed The Horns” finds familiar acid stabs joining with a barrage of syllables — “yo!” “uh!” — to create a simple but catchy track. Better is Paperkraft’s “Final Dance,” which takes speedy sentences and, eventually, joyful bursts of singing, to create a thumping number that uses voices as a main melody. Get it here, or listen below.

New (Kinda) Smany: “2113”

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Smany’s latest album To Lie Latent isn’t quite a new release. Rather, it features a lot of glances back at the wispy electronic singer/songwriter’s history. Some songs are simply brought back, while others — such as “2113,” originally released in 2014 via Bunkai-Kei Records — get updated and played around with. It’s a personal favorite pursuit from musicians, when they revisit older works and tinker around, trying to find new perspectives on the songs. In 2019, Smany adds strings and a little more urgency to the pitter-patter synths and her own sing-speak. It’s familiar, but with an added oomph reflecting her last few years. Listen above.