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 Apple Music or Spotify.
Chanmina — “FLIP FLAP”
Ryo: It’s been a minute since Chanmina released a straight-up rap song, and “FLIP FLAP” serves as a drop-in to remind that she’s still got it. Following one successful year with the No No Girls project, the self-praise sung in the hook reads less boastful than simple matter of fact. The touch of reality behind details about run-ins with media execs give the bars an extra sting. Chanmina runs through it with a shrug of a flow, like everything written out in “FLIP FLAP” is all obvious.
Kimiga shikakuku narumaeni ft. miniamaru miyabi — “Dazzling Carries the Life of Others”
Ryo: As a collaborative project, Kimiga shikaku narumaeni brings out a homespun vibe from songwriters of rowdy indie-rock bands like muk and the bercedes menz. Nerdneko and miniamaru miyabi in particular sound tailor-made for the project in “Dazzling Carries the Life of Others” from its new album. The former offers a scaled down take on their shoegaze output, replacing Hatsune Miku with the sidenerds vocalist, who’s not so foreign to guitar fuzz herself. While they tone down the distortion, they keep the bedroom-bound feel: the uniting factor of everyone’s contributions in Kimiga shikaku narumaeni.
I’m — “Love is over”
Patrick: Painful memories rarely sound so slick. Fukuoka-based artist I'm released her first mini-album recently, and it's a lovely collection of city-based longing with a hustle-and-bustle groove to it. “Love is over” is the highlight, pairing memories of an ex with a Miami-Bass-speckled beat that keeps everything moving even if the singer's thoughts are drifting back.
Maya-Shakuji-Abeno — “DANCE W 9TAILS”
Patrick: Bandai-Namco's DENONBU has a history of bringing in an eclectic set of electronic (and beyond) creators to help shape the music associated with its stable of fictional singers. Still, even by those standards, “DANCE W 9TAILS” really wows on the songwriting side. To make Maya-Shakuji-Abeno's crackling electro barrage they called on hyperpop fixture BHS Svve and hard-hitting producer DOG NOISE for a shapeshifting rumbler always pushing ahead. The vocals end up just as twisted as the sound and add a nice texture, but here's one where checking out the instrumental is as rewarding.
PASSEPIED — “DOWNTOWN GIRL”
Ryo: I usually expect a burst of prog-rock from PASSEPIED. Neon-bright keyboards, abrupt beat switches, guitar-tapping up and down the fret board: that sort of thing. “DOWNTOWN GIRL” took me by surprise with the band refashioned into a slick dance-rock act, starting from the song’s filter-house-esque intro. While PASSEPIED straighten out their wild freakouts, their new-wave funk grooves on with the same amount of bright color and energy. Based on this as a taste for their upcoming album, IMI, maybe there are more stylistic experiments to come.
sugar plant — “sunlit rain”
Patrick: Band sugar plant emerged in the ‘90s with a slower rock sound that at times nodded to similar sounds playing out in the world of Shibuya-kei but delivered in a much moodier, no-rush pace. To celebrate its anniversary, the project is releasing a new album this spring, and “sunlit rain” offers the first taste of what's to come. It's a melancholy number strolling along, vocalist Chinatsu Shoyama's vocals layered to give it all a dream-like quality.
