Halloween is creeping up on us, with festivities in Japan probably starting (and quite possibly being at their peak) this weekend. KiWi’s love of all things spooky and Adam’s Family values makes them apt to share a new song for the season, and “Obake Nante Kowakunai” is a free download until Oct. 31. It’s more funhouse than haunted house, though, finding the duo sing-rapping through a layer of digital effects over a rumbling beat…before pivoting to just-off carnival-style music. Like a lot of their music, it is light hearted and a bunch of fun. Update your Halloween playlist accordingly. Listen above.
New Ghostlight Featuring Nogawa Kazune: “Kimi No Suki Na Yoru No Hanashi”
Even with the beat gently pounding away, the first half of the latest creation from Ghostlight sounds like something you could wrap yourself up in. It’s all string plucks, twinkly electronic notes and the near-whispered voice of guest Nogawa Kazune drifting over the playroom skip. It’s calming and somewhat heartwarming (the lyrics reveal a little bit of lingering pain, but everything else bandages it) — and then near the end it really lets go. The beat picks up, the singing gets ever-so-slightly louder and this track ends on a bumping note. Listen above.
Group Activity: Cheap Cream’s “Kissing Game”
Remember a week ago when I said the move was for once-online-only electronic artists to form pop-focused units with vocalists? Welp, add another example to the pile. Maltine-adjacent creator Nagomu Tamaki has teamed up with an artist named Erica, who based on some quick search-engine-powered research was in the idol unit Electric Ribbon, to become Cheap Cream (yeah, I know, could use a little more thrill than a poster you might see outside a pharmacy). Their first song “Kissing Game” came out in September, but it’s a charmer even a month on. Taking cues from New Jack Swing but also modern dance-pop and a sprinkling of Web-born goofiness, “Kissing Game” springs all over the place, building towards a hook that is peak Especia to these ears. Tamaki’s backdrop is busy but never overwhelming, while Erica adds the rest. Listen above.
New Boys Age: “Daughter The Star Gazer”
It’s the feeling of something being just off…of bad vibes sneaking through even the chillest guiat riffs…that really makes “Daughter The Star Gazer” a welcome addition to the Boys Age catalog. This project has gone all over the place since they started, but this one is a return to basics. Boys Age play a simple but inviting melody using guitar and a barely there beat, while over it all a vaguely Muppet-like voice twists and turns thoughts over. That sense of something being just off is the most important element here, as it has always been. Listen above.
New (well, kinda) Kindan No Tasuketsu: “Nemui (Sleepers)”
How deep does Kindan No Tasuketsu’s catalog go? The ever-changing pop project just released a new compilation called Early Years 2012 – 2016, one which aims to collect some loosies from acros their uhhhh early years…yet I still feel like there are a bunch of songs from this period not represented here. They are prolific! And more importantly, they have been great at crafting pop in all sorts of molds, from electro-pop to acoustic-bordering-on-folk. Early Years is a great snapshot of the group’s eclectic approach to songwriting, especially ahead of “season 4,” whatever that might be. To celebrate this look back, they’ve shared a new video for “Nemui (Sleepers),” which originally came out in 2012 with an even simpler clip. It’s the group pulling off dream pop just right, the vocals shrouded in a layer of mist and bells chiming off all around to give it an extra soft feel. Fitting for a song completely about seeking escape via sleep, falling somewhere between peaceful and tear-stained. Listen above.