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 2025 playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.
DURDN — “AFTER TASTE”
Let's approach the end of the year with a little bit of heartbreak. Band DURDN has mostly gotten attention for more upbeat, borderline neo-city-pop creations, but “AFTER TASTE” shows both a sonic and emotional variety from them. It's a sad one, about love lost and the memory that lingers, delivered as a sad stroll with enough moments of catharsis to add some punch to it all. Whether you had a bummer 2025 or just want some downer moods heading into 2026, here ya go. Listen above.
Eisei To Karatea — “Rain”
Eisei To Karatea’s new one sheds off their usual flourishes of pianos and violins to reveal more of the rock sound at the musical center of the idol group. They remain a sentimental bunch even without the flowery arrangements: “May time go on like this forever,” the idol sings in the chorus. Yet when it’s shaded with the more defined emo-punk flair of the guitars, their lyrics about the preciousness of the present moment take on a different tone, like they know it’s ephemeral no matter how hard they try to hold on.
Ichi Takashi — “Sighed Soda”
There's a bedroom spirit informing creator Ichi Takashi's latest EP, with "Sighed Soda" offering the best example of his experimental spirit. Somewhere amidst the guitar abrasions and warped tempos is a straight-ahead number sung by Takashi himself. Yet the whole thrill of what he does is seeing how to stretch it out, here adding samples and electronic strokes to create something more freewheeling, which feels born out working out of your room. Listen above.
KIRINJI — “A View From Our Balcony”
A lovely snapshot of exactly what the title describes. “A View From Our Balcony” captures what seems like a relatively ordinary scene but thanks to KIRINJI's arrangement the project is able to add some drama to this snapshot. Strings swoop, woodwinds add a breeze to the scene and percussion strolls along, adding just enough speed to give this one energy without turning it into something exhausting. Listen above.
TEMPLIME & Eiichi Kyo — “Polaris”
TEMPLIME’s wide-eyed electro-pop and Eiichi Kyo’s melancholy indie-rock with his band Yukiguni seem almost the polar opposite of each other. And yet the two manage to locate a fascinating middle point of their respective sounds in “Polaris.” A lonely guitar riff drift along the vacuous space-field with a glitchy skip, swirling up debris of synth chirps until it grows into a huge electronic-dust cloud that’s ready to implode. As stormy as the fusion turns, “Polaris” feels like an idyllic natural sequence with Kyo singing like he’s in awe while gazing at the sky.
VOLTA & ariiol ft. yeil — “RESETT”
VOLTA mixes in some hyperpop sugar and Jersey-club kicks to their breakcore sound for their collaboration with producer ariiol. Cell phone chirps here, pinball-like bass lines there, all carried by a flurry of drum breaks. Bobbing around this multi-level pop bouncy house is yeil, a Korean rapper who seems to be given a huge upgrade from his own plug and digicore tracks with this maximalist beat. It’s over fast, but what a rush.
