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 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.
AAAMYYY Featuring chelmico — "HAPPY"
Electronic artist AAAMYYY balances control and giddiness just right on "HAPPY," the opener to her new EP THANKS. Her skittery beat melds with dreamy synths, but the real accomplishment is getting rap-pop dynamos chelmico on the track and having them deliver verses that, for them, are understated and match the mood around them. Listen above.
ANORAK! — "Fledgling"
ANORAK! change course once again in "Fledgling." After polishing their emo rock with a synth-pop sheen in last year’s Self-actualization and the ignorance and hesitation towards it, the band swing heavy into an opposite, aggressive rock direction. They ditch the tinny beats to instead thrash about with brute guitar riffs, and they forgo the previous album’s melodic pursuits in the vocals in favor of raw skramz screams. Time will tell if this is a brief detour or a new style ANORAK! is looking to chase next.
DE DE MOUSE & Yuka Nagase — "Lovely Shy Girl"
Not only is DE DE MOUSE an incredibly prolific producer, he's also nothing short of a musical shapeshifter and this latest from him definitely backs up that statement. Compared to his last few tracks released in 2025 alone, "Lovely Shy Girl" is a shimmering upbeat pop track with shades of 80's influence peeking through for good measure. The vocals from Yuka Nagase have a whispery quality to them that perfectly represent the "shy girl" title while dancing wonderfully on top DE DE MOUSE's production. He just doesn't miss, and this is just another bright spot in his massive catalog.
Hashimero — "f=ma"
Has anyone gone wrong sampling the Family Mart jingle in a song before? Hashimero definitely didn't at the very least. "f=ma" utilizes the repeating jingle with slight distortion behind a classic hip-hop beat, but then the whole track is polished off with a sweet pop-meets-rap vocal performance. The end result is a prime example of Hashimero's self-described "dope pop music" for sure.
Moon in June — "Paper Moon"
Moon in June tap into the glittery riffs and tidal wash of reverb signature to shoegaze for an effervescent sound of dream pop. Through its warmth, the indie-rock band’s new song off their forthcoming second album, Colorless You, provides a comforting shelter for a lost soul. “I wanted you to keep laughing, so I let the flower bloom / while you still don’t know where to go next,” vocalist miho sings in the breezy chorus. Delivered to the tune of sunny rock, her empathic lyrics shift focus to the finer things if for a moment.
pinponpanpon — "SO COOL"
At its core, chaotic idol trio pinponpanpon's music is about friendship. That's not always immediately clear, including on newest single "SO COOL." The group pushes back against haters, sings a line from Frozen's "Let It Go" and even flexes their backup plans (if J-pop doesn't work out...hey, time to go hip-hop) over a breakneck beat. Yet what really makes it work is how tight the members are with one another, both in the lyrics and in how they bounce off one another in song. Listen above.
Ruka — "Not Enough"
Ruka's latest is a pretty huge departure from his last several releases, which had more of a mellow and groovy sound. "Not Enough" ("Tabetarinai" in Japanese) is the kind of polished pop earworm that you would expect to hear overhead in Shibuya's Center-gai district, something that is perfectly primed for mainstream attention. Who knows if this sound is going to become the norm for him, but more songs of this quality in general would be a very welcome shift in style and could be the kind of thing that makes him finally pop (no pun in intended).
XUDAN — "Sotsugyo"
On their second new track for March, XUDAN answer to those who wished the idol group turned the BPM way up on their tracks where hardcore rave meets thrash metal. "Sotsugyo" hammers out slashing guitars, blast beats and drum ’n’ bass loops in breakneck speed, while the idols indulge in a rather skeevy schoolgirl affair: “Teacher, please, smack this no-good idiot in the head,” they sing amidst the noise after sheepishly confessing their love to their school-ground crush. Beyond just genre-mashing, XUDAN continue to distort idol-pop in a matter of few minutes.
Yuri — "Suki"
Bright and shiny pop that feels like a fever dream thanks to the production. The team of Yuri and Sasuke Haraguchi sit at the forefront of a new jagged era of J-pop, with previous releases such as "Heart111" and "Ushirojikan" serving as apt sonic vessels for a slightly more accessible version of the producer's disorienting style. That continues on "Suki," a swift kick of a song featuring Yuri's highest-pitched vocals set against Haraguchi's electronic pots-and-pans rumble. It sounds interesting — while still having a pop heart. Listen above.
