Welcome Package: Loveless Featuring Shiroro’s “Anata Ni Todoke Omoi”

The surest way to add some intrigue to a style of music is deliver it in a way that feels just off. The artist Loveless — who appears to have worked with the group Love The Candys — creates music dabbling in all sorts of styles, best summed up by an EP on Ano(t)raks last year touching on indie rock, jazz and reggae. The last one has dominated their attention in 2018, and now comes “Anata Ni Todoke Omoi” featuring Shiroro on vocals. Yet this isn’t a sunny seaside affair. Loveless’ music certainly moves at the right pace, but it is cloaked in an off-season pale that even makes the jaunty 8-bit flourishes feel a bit understated. Better yet is Shiroro’s vocals, delivered in near sing-speak and with a dollop of ennui on top. Some brightness slips through for sure — the chorus rumbles on nicely — but something feels nicely off. Listen above.