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.
Bitei Matsuki — “Damasenai”
Patrick: The music Bitei Matsuki makes can be a little too fanciful at times, letting their musical chops flex a little too much at the expense of simple catchiness. Yet when they focus, Matsuki can deliver a simple charmer. “Damasenai” off of latest album The Night Atelier is a dashing number that doesn't overcomplicate, using a giddy piano melody to construct a number exploring multiple tempos but feeling centered rather than discombobulated.
IKIZULIVE! — “Tale of Primavera”
Ryo: The classical intro of IKIZULIVE!’s new song alone feels weighty, and the track continues to amp up the emotional theatrics with an arrangement full of dark string flourishes, dancing harpsichords and spiraling piano riffs. The Love Live! idols swoon with equally dramatic melancholy, their tone indistinguishable from pained and ecstatic while dealing with overwhelming love. Major idols—the Ikonoijoys, the Sakamichis, even Hello! Project—have been getting gothic with it this year, playing up woe-is-me drama with even more maudlin arrangements of a baroque style. IKIZULIVE! must have also got the note as they turn in a worthy contender against the pack.
KID FRESINO ft. Tiji Jojo — “runnin shot”
Ryo: For a new collab with Tiji Jojo, KID FRESINO loads up something glossier than his usual for the two rappers to trade flexing bars back and forth. The sputtering beat recalls more UK drill than the jazz of his recent drops, while trading the militant scores of the former style for a shiny organ riff not so removed from today’s swag rap. Maybe it’s that drum pattern, the mic-relay structure, or Tiji’s squeaky vocals and staccato flow, but the whole affair reminds me a bit of Central Cee and Lil Baby’s link-up from a few years back with FRESINO in the place of Cee. The Kid himself, though, claims to be feeling like Young Nudy, Chief Keef and a number of other insider references all pointing to the sign that he is indeed locked in his element.
PSYQUI And Nonono Nono – “Failurere”
Patrick: This past weekend, Tokyo's club culture came out into the daylight for Boukawa, a two-day festival in the capital's Odaiba area celebrating the eclectic sounds of the city's nightlife. The event itself says a lot about the state of club culture in the country and how it is experiencing major transformations — stay tuned to scrmbl for more on that — but one consistent is the music itself. It is largely internet-born sounds under constant mutation, boasting a pop edge but a floor thump. The official compilation album for Boukawa offers 19 examples of this, though early contributions from producer PSYQUI and virtal artist Nonono Nono stands out thanks to its vocal sweetness and electronic rush...doubling as an anthem capturing what makes this event stand out.
RAY — “Ghost”
Patrick: Idol outfit RAY has always been “the shoegaze one,” but digging into their discography reveals all kinds of sonic turns, into other corners of rock or otherwise. New single “Ghost” provides a recent example of that diversity, playing out as a slower-building dance-pop number putting vocals into the spotlight and letting the music itself (arranged by underground ace T.M.P) elevate the singing.
Tive — “Watashi No Katachi”
Ryo: Tive deploys the old method of “bring back the killer riffs, but slower” in their new song. The metallic guitars come on sludgier with an edge closer to nu gaze than pure hardcore. But as the beat rocks steady, the track feeling smoother, the clarity only draws more attention to the brutal subject matter. “Whether we go to war or not / it doesn’t change how much a life matters,” frontman Saeki Hajime sings as the buzzing guitars cool him into a more melodic mode. “After we embraced, I knew for the first time / the shape of me.” As “Watashi No Katachi” proves, Tive kick reality no matter the chosen speed.
