Age Factory — “Jomyaku”
Patrick: Speed can be deceptive in the right hands. Trio Age Factory's latest song teases a dash ahead via its skittery percussion and general plunge ahead. Yet despite the pace, the track makes space for singer Eisuke Shimizu to let his vocals rip and add an emotional touch to an otherwise speedy song barreling ahead.
AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN — “INUMATIAN”
Ryo: AIR-CON BOOM BOOM ONESAN returns with more nonsensical no wave, where she’s now muttering about fake dalmatians over a stiff, jittery beat. Despite her acting sound, the song only grows more ridiculous the deeper she goes on this tangent about whatever an inumatian means. Yet her mnemonic device of a verse — “no speck, no speckle, no owner” — sticks to the mind like a spell especially over the transfixing noise of crooked post-punk guitars and squealing sax riffs.
DYGL — “NRG”
Patrick: DYGL offers up a shaggy garage-rock number hiding an existential reflection on energy and existing. Vocalist Nobuki Akiyama runs through a bunch of states of being, from stressed out to totally free. The guitars turn these rock koans into something sharper, and make DYGL's philosophy into something frantic.
Hikari Mitsushima & cero — “odoru noir”
Ryo: New music from Hikari Mitsushima is coveted in itself with the actress-sometimes-singer sharing maybe a song a year. While each of her works brings a promising collaboration, this one raises the stakes thanks to the involvement of the eclectic electro-soul band cero. If you were imagining the singer improvising to a spaced-out jam session similar to the band’s 2023 LP e o, though, I have to report that the arrangement of “odoru noir” is rather free of fuss without any fractured beats. But it’s idyllic in its own way through the warm tranquility flowing from the song’s soft jazz. “Let me dance,” Mitsushima sings at one point. She’s already feeling the spirit.
THE LUV BUGS, N², Baku & Seann Bowe — “Jealous”
Ryo: Nostalgia for the mid-2000s wears heavy in the latest collaborative track bearing the LUV BUGS banner. While the production isn’t quite the saw-toothed electroclash from the school of Charli XCX’s BRAT, “Jealous” dishes out hip-hop-informed, club-obsessed electropop in a similar vein as the types from a little before the EDM era. With their rap cadences done in an Auto-Tune’d drawl, it’s like Baku and Seann Bowe are predicting the second coming of Kesha with her dollar sign intact. If you want to feel more of a time slip, experience the song via the music video that take lengths to replicate the feel of media circa 2008.
STUTS And Taeko Onuki — “Ohayou”
Patrick: The partnership between hip-hop beatmaker STUTS and pop legend Taeko Onuki isn't about updating the latter for a POP YOURS crowd, but rather showcasing how the former can approach retro sounds. “Ohayou” is breezy sweetness featuring strings and horn flair, offering a sunny backdrop for Onuki to vocally stroll through. It's an example of his range, and a dandy number to boot.
