CYNHN — “Loop back Role trash”
Ryo: Jagged, zigzagging guitar riffs like in “Loop back Role trash” aren’t exactly new for CYNHN. But arranger eba’s frantic rock sounds more showy as usual especially as it appears in the idol group’s new three-track single; it’s seemingly angled as a friendly competition against Mao Sasagawa’s equally maximal instrumental for “Mou daijoubu.” The guitar-playing is in a frenzy, and the crammed lyrics pass by in a blur, leaving behind a string of rhymes rather than any turn of phrase. It’s a lot to take in, and what a rush.
HANA — “Cold Night”
Patrick: I have listened to “Cold Night” almost nonstop over the past weekend with one question on my mind — is that a banjo!?!?! The first proper chorus of girl group HANA's latest features a twang to it that's one of the most out-of-nowhere touches to a J-pop song I've heard this decade that instantly adds a unique layer to the group's sound. This isn't the rising outfit going bluegrass, but rather a detail wrapping around nicely on an anthemic rock-flavored song ideal for the HANA songbook, with the group faking confidence to power past the doubters. Which they do on that hook, which starts with a country flavor but builds into something to be screamed-along to. The banjo pulls me in...but it's that bigness that actually keeps it on repeat.
IM DENPA.wav — “dynamic infection”
Ryo: After a return from their hiatus with an appearance at Maltine’s recent 20th anniversary show, Im Denpa.Wav are back on the music front as well with “Dynamic Infection,” a new single since 2023’s Foundation Systems EP. While the dreamy house synths suggests a build-up into sweeping diva house, the track starts to glitch mid-way like someone bumped the channel dial. From the metallic globs of hyperpop percussion comes instead a drilling hard-trance bass line, switching the song into a whole new direction. Im Denpa.Wav know how to leave you wanting more as they filter the beat out before it can really peak or mutate into something else again.
Patrick: Whether retreating from the algorithm or just the crushing realities of life in general, collective IM DENPA.wav find sanctuary in others on their latest song “dynamic infection.” The track fizzes around the edges, the main vocal coated in digital fuzz, but that ends up just being texture for a song where warmth cuts across over the need to be with someone else and lift them up. The music pulses ahead save for quieter stretches where IM DENPA sprinkle in sonic stardust via harp notes and synthesizer wooze. Every turn it takes though leads back to its heart on full display.
OKAME — “Tamaya”
Patrick: Former CHAI members / current sisters Mana and Kana have joined forces to form a new project called OKAME. The songs the pair shared initially nodded to the wackier side of their original band, but latest offering “Tamaya” highlights a knack for melodic catchiness and sneaky sweetness that long lurked in their previous outfit. They keep it simple, letting guitar melancholy lead the way while they offer more reserved singing emphasizing the flow of the words.
PostmodernHippie & Hana Miketa — “+ Megami +”
Ryo: Over the brief 18-minute run of the singer’s joint EP with one-man band PostmodernHippie, Hana Miketa’s soft-spoken vocals float atop music of a number of styles from twinkling post-rock to hazy noise-punk. And final track “+ Megami +” signals the record’s climax through its tsunami waves of shoegaze. Miketa’s murmurs rise into a scream for her words to be heard past the wall of reverb; squint and you can hear black-metal howls in the distance, ostensibly from her collaborator. The two provide themselves a needed moment of catharsis, making for the EP’s best track.
