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.
cyber milkchan — “i don't wanna”
Patrick: A short but woozy transmission from the world of cyber milk chan, one that fits a lot of intrigue into less than two minutes. “i don't wanna” wrestles with worries over empty art and simply living over a zero-gravity synths, high-pitched vocal squawks and a beat helping keep everything moving forward. There's no definitive conclusions, just some self-affirmation (including a declaration of being “hyperpop”) and a peak into her mind palace, which is plenty intriguing enough. Listen above.
Miu Sakamoto - “Shokutaku”
Ryo: Miu Sakamoto’s first original material from her upcoming new album sounds refreshingly cozy. While still embellished with strings, it chirps like a porchside folk song in comparison to her recent orchestral ballads made for the movies. Perhaps sensed already from the title, the song naturally calls for a softer touch from the music with it based around a more homely set of lyrics from the singer. “Ah, for sad nights / a single word and a ‘welcome home,’” Sakamoto opens the song, and “Shokutaku” draws out a warm, enveloping atmosphere throughout, like a friend who’s there to just listen.
NOT WONK — “Grape”
Patrick: A nervous number that soon enough gives way to full release. Trio NOT WONK play the role of anxious recording artist well for most of “Grape,” complete with the sound of someone behind the boards telling them to do take one, giving this an immediate sense of place. The slight quiver in the singing only makes that feel more real. Yet it's all in service of letting the guitars pick up in force and eventually ripping apart in the end, sounding quite confident. Listen above.
Sara Wakui - “Koori”
Ryo: Like the quiet parts of this February’s utas EP, Sara Wakui’s new single sounds as though the singer wanted to put it out on a whim. “I want to pour warmth into a freezing body,” she sighs, hinting about her choice in outfit, and the hip-hop-laced jazz arrangement winds down into a dusky beat fit for this kind of late-night confession. If “Koori” seems to fade out a bit too soon, its brief stay might be intentional as the fleeting track feels like the TMI text you send to an admirer but quickly delete as you come to your senses.
Satoko Shibata - “Pool”
Ryo: Satoko Shibata has been out feeling the groove this year with her vibing to the bobbing beats of others like Kan Sano’s rich boom-bap and tofubeat’s slick electro-house. That dancing spirit drives the singer-songwriter’s new single where she swaps out the golden soul of 2024’s My Favorite Things for tropical house. The track’s balmy glow lends the funk to feel akin to the, well, poolside disco of chillwave, but Shibata also slips in a kind of lyrical irony familiar to the latter genre: she takes account of a seaside scene in “Pool” with a yawn, recognizing the sunlit beauty while being slightly detached from it all.
TOWA TEI — “The Hot Summer Strikes Back”
Patrick: At some point in recent years, celebrated Japanese electronic artist TOWA TEI embraced a more left-field view on song construction. While present on last year's discombobulating AH!! it has been the releases since that find TEI creating works approaching sound collage that reveal a new perspective from the creator. “The Hot Summer Strikes Back” uses stitched-together samples to create a mood piece for the soon-to-arrive heat of the season, with the guitar strums and synth ripples turning this into something like a sonic mirage among high temperatures. Listen above.
