Every month, scrmbl highlights some of the most noteworthy releases from Japanese artists available on Bandcamp. Sometimes, this coincides with the platform’s own Bandcamp Friday —an event where the company itself waives all revenue share and instead lets artists reap all the money made off sales.
Seeing as 2026 has just arrived and everyone is adjusting to the new year (or maybe I’m projecting here), this month sees Bandcamp Friday take a break, with plans for it to return in February. Still, lots of incredible Japanese albums came out during December 2025, a time where music often gets overlooked as year-end lists have been published and people are recharging for what’s ahead. So consider this edition a chance to catch up on Japanese releases that might miss attention but are certainly worthy of your ears and support.
Magnolia Cacophony — traceback (most recent call last)
Given the textural nature of shoegaze, using Vocaloid as another sonic layer isn’t that farfetched. Band Magnolia Cacophony showcase how synthesized voices can work in the context of guitar fuzz across first EP traceback (most recent call last) via the voicebanks Kasane Teto and GUMI. Yet the power of these five songs lies in how the group can also wring real emotions out of these digital voices. Across traceback, Magnolia Cacophony adjust the singing to get real melancholy, regret and on cathartic seven-minute-plus closer “Link To You” joy. Sure, you could just get swept up in the sound, but don’t forget to let the very human feelings wash over you too. Get it here.
Cwondo — Memoride 2
As a member of the band No Buses, Cwondo helps bring sturdy rock numbers to life via his guitar playing and singing. By himself, he obsesses with how to dissect a song into something alien without losing its melodic charm. Memoride 2 finds the creator engaging his beat-making side, laying down shuffling rhythms and placing discombobulated sounds overhead, often pitching and warping his own voice into a key detail. It gets pretty trippy, but Cwondo isn’t making a mess for the fun of it. Rather, he’s seeing how these mutations can be arranged into something every bit as catchy as the work from his group. Get it here.
andrew And Stupid Kozo — Reason EP
It’s not quite an odd-couple situation but Tokyo electronic artists andrew and Stupid Kozo have long approached club sounds from different angles. They come together on the Reason EP to celebrate the corners of their shared home. Rooted in afro tech rhythms, the tracks here have hard edges but at their cores exude warmth, with the best moments like “Radical Highway” letting synths sparkle over driving beats to create a feeling of euphoria. Get it here.
kamome sano — if
A maximalist’s delight. Producer kamome sano does not hold back on the chopped-up vocal samples or buzzy synthesizer bursts over the course of if making for a set of songs that feel in constant motion. Just being busy though isn’t all that interesting, and sano’s real triumph is arranging this electro-pop rush into something with real form and feeling, whether it’s on the thundering digi barrage of “disconnected” or the fizzy heartrace of the aptly titled “<emotional>.” Get it here.
Palimach — Along The River, Through The Park
“Ambient juke” is an impossible idea, but Palimach’s first album Along The River, Through The Park offers as good an imagining of how this contradictory genre could sound. The familiar skittering rhythms of Chicago meld with stretched-out synth lines and string touches to create something where the beat is often more like a ripple than a whole wave on songs such as “walk.” Yet Palimach also knows when to let it rip — “whitegrid(e-perm)” skitters and adds acid splashes, while the atmospheric opening stretch of highlight “project cafe-78” builds to a moment of release that takes the party from the park to the club while holding on to its naturalistic edge. Get it here.
Kyototower — Kyototower
Originally appearing online back in 2024, Vocaloid producer Saku’s Kyototower self-titled debut has appeared on Bandcamp to start the new year. Here, the familiar delivery of Hatsune Miku gets turned into a sonic building block for more ambient numbers and IDM-leaning cuts approaching the fidgetiness of Squarepusher. It was a treat when it first emerged almost two years ago, and it’s nice to hear it again now. Get it here.
5 Star Cowboy — 5 Star Cowboy Deluxe
Speaking of re-issues and revamped offerings, earlier in 2025 the sorta-kinda underground supergroup 5 Star Cowboy (Botsu a.k.a. NGS of Dos Monos, the members of bringlife and PICNIC YOU) shared a tipsy EP of slosh-brained rap. They’ve beefed it up with 5 Star Cowboy Deluxe, adding more freewheeling rhymes that captures everyone in a playful but still punchy mood while retaining the most off-kilter (the title track) and surprising (the Enya-sampling “World Peace”) bits of the original release. One of last year’s wildest sets getting even better. Get it here.
Various Artists — HATSUBOSI HYPER COMPILATION vol.1
A simple premise but an effective one — a bunch of electronic artists offer up bootlegs of assorted Hatsuboshi Gakuen songs, often taking them to high-energy and borderline chaotic places. Sometimes, you just need wild interpretations of mixed-media idol numbers. Get it here.
