Despite the ease of access that streaming has brought to the distribution of music, the volume that's released can make it a daunting task to find unique new stuff every week. In this recurring weekly feature we put together a short list of new songs from the past week that stand out amongst all the noise and deserve a spot in your rotation.
All songs featured in this recurring series can be found in our scrmbl selection 2026 playlist on Apple Music or Spotify.
gl1tch.bby — “Lost Angel.exe”
Ryo: While singer-songwriter UTERO isn’t new to the ethereal, her new project gl1tch.bby formed with vocalist/guitarist Manaco Komori from shoegaze band killmilky scans less dream pop than witch house-meets-hyperpop. For the duo’s debut song, “Lost Angel.exe,” she lists artists like lilbesh ramko and tamanaramen as influences, and you can hear it in the hushed bedroom-pop vocals, ominous stabs of synths and the distorted beat drop that resembles a computer gone kaput. A mood board of “angel,” “glitch” and “chill” apparently guides gl1tch.bby; their first song already nails the aesthetic to a T.
HATSUBOSHI GAKUEN & Misuzu Hataya — “Superlative”
Ryo: IDOLM@STER’s Hatsuboshi Gakuen series invited one varied ensemble of musicians for its character songs last year, bringing in future-garage from kamome sano and blistering shoegaze from Hakushi Hasegawa just to name a few. The newest producer joining the cast is siqlo, who deploys huge, snaking dubstep beats for Misuzu Hataya, voiced by Non Harusaki. While the growling bass lines of “Superlative” can rival the club ragers of a D4DJ act, the starry flourishes and Harusaki’s soft vocals suggest something more fit to live in daydreams than the dance floor.
Itaby — “Fushigi No Kuni”
Patrick: If you're going to build a fantasy sonic wonderland, might as well go full surreal with it. Producer Itaby's “Fushigi No Kuni” embraces escapism by using the warble of Hatsune Miku as main vocals, letting her navigate a fidgety melody full of instrumental touches feeling close to cartoon sound effects. At times it feels close to collapse, yet Itaby makes sure to keep it together, with Miku's voice delivering moments of pop bliss even as it wonks out.
Kana Hanazawa — “Cipher Cipher”
Ryo: Angular guitars make a return in the music of Kana Hanazawa for her new single. Polkadot Stingray hand her a thorny jam, the band’s guitars slashing away more furious than the similarly math-y, new-wave grooves of last year’s “Yarenno? Endless.” From the knotty rock to its oblique lyrics, “Cipher Cipher” is a little coiled up to allow the voice actress to fully relieve her pent-up frustrations, but her venting carries an intensity not so found elsewhere in her recent work.
SHINTOKYO — “Rally Call”
Patrick: Band SHINTOKYO uses jazzy splashes to give its pop-rock an elegance on latest cut “Rally Call.” The quartet allows themselves room to spread out via piano solos and bass workouts, but they aren't creating anything overly heady here. Rather, this is a catchy tune wrapped up in dexterity, giving it a shine that helps it stand out.
yama — “End roll”
Patrick: “Mellowness” isn't a mood I'd associate with yama. The relatively mysterious singer/songwriter has long tapped into the unease of modern life in Japan and works best when on the edge of anxiety. Yet she's choosing optimism on new single “End roll” and it fits her well. Set over a sturdy stroll of a beat she sings about not needing the titular closing credits for a burgeoning relationship, instead embracing the potential still to come. Her singing matches the atmosphere by being a little more reserved — at times almost nervous — in the verses but letting something bright beam through at the chorus.
