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 YouTube, Apple Music or Spotify.
fedress — “Yamenai”
Ryo: While the starry new wave of their previous single shot fedress out into a realm close to cosmic fantasy, the band’s new one feels flinchingly real and almost too close to home. Dream pop remains their engine with sleek, gleaming guitar riffs coloring the track like a sun-kissed indie-rock tune in the school of C86. But the constant reference of them reaching the end of the road ring poignant considering the current state of the band: fedress just recently went on an indefinite hiatus after their final show with vocalist Sasaki Yoshino. She insists on “not giving up” and “remembering the kindness you gave me” to an unnamed second person. Hearing her stressing those parts with urgency in the chorus, she sounds nothing but sincere.
Fuki Kitamura — “midi u”
Patrick: The twisty-turny nature of Fuki Kitamura's electronic music conceals a lot of earnestness. New song “midi u” illustrates this wonderfully. Kitamura's approach to the sound here is as whirlwind as usual, with piano zippiness intersecting with her mutated vocals and burbling synth splashes. She takes the tempo in all kinds of directions, but beneath it all is among Kitamura's most vulnerable songs to date as she tackles self doubt and distance from others. That makes the overwhelm of the music all the more effective when paired with an equally scrambling emotion.
jjean — “superstar”
Ryo: The new single by jjean—a solo project of SUPER DRAGON’s Jean Kaito—is electropop on the edge of total burnout, perhaps from the idol’s own desperation to make it as a star. And from the sound of it, a “superstar” for jjean resembles a mercurial subculture icon like 2hollis as he cues up a trashy, sizzling piece of electro-house that’s been the hot trend for not only 2hollis but also the rising new wave of hyperclash pop stars. If the rubbery production evokes in you a fond nostalgia for late-period bloghouse, the Skrillex-ian gurgle in the chorus should satisfy you in particular.
LAUSBUB — “star house”
Patrick: The newest album from electronic duo LAUSBUB contains a lot, coming in at two discs of nervy music balancing the experimental with the pop. The second side, in particular, feels like a display of how out there the pair can get while retaining something catchy. The rollicking “star house” is a standout, introduced with icy synths and gongs before going loopsy with a barrage of sliced-up vocal samples and singing over a pogoing beat. A good example of what makes the project stand out.
Natsu Summer — “Lovedora (Love-Dorama)”
Ryo: “Like a love drama” might sound redundant as a metaphor for the songs of Natsu Summer on a cursory listen. Her city pop, both solo and with her band RYUSENKEI, already sets a rich mood of romance from the music alone: it’d be like calling a movie “cinematic.” Yet like the best city pop, the tropical dreaminess of “Lovedora” actually turns almost ironic as the lyrics reveal a rather melancholy scenario: “Their eyes keep gazing and keep turning away,” Natsu Summer narrates the scene, “like a love drama.” While anyone else would be frustrated from the unresolved tension, she renders it as an adorable sight to behold.
Yuta Orisaka Featuring Satoko Shibata — “Simile”
Patrick: Created for a forthcoming film titled Satoko Wa Itsumo, folk singer Yuta Orisaka's “Simile” is also a display of how others can enter his sonic space. For this stripped-down song guided by hand percussion and a little woodwind flair, he calls on Satoko Shibata to add sweetness in the second half, her higher delivery balancing well with Orisaka's singing to make for a breezy number.
