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 on a regular basis. This article recaps our weekly selections for the month of May 2026, 24 tracks we think definitely deserve your attention.
All songs featured in this recurring series can be found in our scrmbl selection 2026 playlist on YouTube, Apple Music, or Spotify.
Amemiya Miyabi & TEMPLIME - “I Like U”
Ryo: Something about UK garage beats let on a flirtatious mood to a track, like Amemiya Miyabi’s new song produced by TEMPLIME, a duo who’s more than familiar with the ins and outs of UKG. The virtual singer owns up to her feelings rather begrudgingly, like she’s rolling her eyes as she confesses how they actually can’t stop running through her mind. But even as her words might read as being stubborn on paper, she sounds like she’s trying to play hard-to-get when she sings about her crush over the slinky, UKG-ish electropop.
Aooo — “CALL”
Patrick: Sony supergroup Aooo has been a hotly-tipped project for a bit now, featuring the former vocalist of Akai Ko-en and several prominent Vocaloid producers turning towards rock. It's an interesting combination albeit one very much carrying a scent of the boardroom around it, but when they can lock in and deliver as something as frantic as “CALL” any of that energy vanishes. Here's a great charge-ahead number that still fits in a catchy hook, drilling right into pop-rock pleasure. Listen above.
cat meows — “you distorted”
Ryo: While cat meows themselves shared the breezy “yellow” as a preview of the indie-rock band’s new full-length, reverth, I’ll go ahead and recommend the aptly titled “you distorted” from the album. “Distorted” as a descriptor nails the song’s evocative scene-setting sound: a roaring, blizzard-like guitar riff like My Bloody Valentine’s woozy shoegaze outfitted for an emo-punk band. Gauzy as the guitars are, the vocals of guitarist-singer Karin Yoshida ring crystal-clear as she sings about tainted dreams and a flood of sadness. Her call for help doesn’t seem to reach anyone in particular, but the outpour of “you distorted” feels cathartic.
ExWHYZ — “TONIGHT TONIGHT”
Patrick: Club-ready idol group ExWHYZ will be calling it a day in the near future, but the project isn't going out with a whimper. “TONIGHT TONIGHT” finds them embracing a dizzying electro-pop barrage courtesy of long-running duo 80KIDZ, raving out as they near the finish line. The group has always been good at delivering euphoria for the past-last-train set, and here's one more example to underline it. Listen above.
Ryo: ExWHYZ’s singles from the past year have rung extra bittersweet with the idol group’s imminent break-up in mind. “DON’T CRY.” “Regret.” “GIVE YOU MY WORD.” These reflections on separation and remembering the times that hit a sensitive spot when also thinking about their end coming soon. A sense of finality drives their new song, too, where they throw perhaps the meanest disco they’ve thrown for their one last dance. The track’s bugged-out electro hardly makes room for softer, more nuanced emotions like melancholy or nostalgia to build, while the idols remain too busy feeling the music to care about anything other than the here-and-now. But then they drop a sneaky little line–I think this is our golden final lap–that reveals ExWHYZ knows this is their last opportunity to make it all count.
Guchon — “4ever”
Patrick: Producer Guchon excels at making jittery dance tunes, but “4ever” is the rare instance where the floor-ready stutter contains a touch of anxiety. Made for a compilation arriving via his “favorite label” Clasico Records, “4ever” closes the whole shebang with nervous energy, the vocal samples and synth washes coming off as more pensive rather than cathartic. Yet that's all in function of the track's build, new elements helping to nudge “4ever” towards an emphatic finish.
Half Mile Beach Club — “Azure Out”
Patrick: Zushi's finest return with an instrumental gust of guitar rock, creating a song that starts breezy but turns blustery as it rips ahead. “Azure Out” underlines the tension that has long existed in their music, whether it is coastal-ready like this or more experimental. It teases something easy-going — and ends with some tropical flair! — but also gets intense at times, disrupting the beach vibes. Listen above.
It's US!!!! — “FUJI”
Patrick: Tokyo collective It's US!!!! has thus far in its existence focused on living it up and making the most of time spent in the capital. Latest single “FUJI” takes a step back for something more bleary-eyed, keeping the energy up but turning it into something more reflective while maintaining a youthful edge. Ushered in by skipping samples, the group still drops lines like “smoke then we greet / repeat with no sleep” to remind of young-adult abandon, but the rest finds them taking a wider-screen look at life (“no need to rush / take your time”). It's clarity for the club set without sacrificing the fun. Listen above.
JUMADIBA - “Fuck”
Ryo: JUMADIBA’s new song from his upcoming summer album brings back that old Playboi Carti feeling, reminding of the days when the mix of the latter rapper’s all-hook style and Pierre Bourne’s chromatic synths felt groundbreaking. The shiny, candied loop of “Fuck” chases its own tail while JUMADIBA rattles off in a similarly circular cadence. In a way reminiscent of “Magnolia,” it’s hypnotic how this line of beginning and end diminishes in a matter of a few bars. A chorus never seems to arrive until you realize his whole verse has essentially been a chorus all along.
kanekoayano — “Blue”
Patrick: Sadness can often be an excuse to shrivel up or grow muted, but kanekoayano uses a downer moment as a reason to let loose. “Blue” is the mood the band front by Kaneko Ayano finds itself, but rather than wallowing they set the stage before letting guitars and vocals tear through the song to add something cathartic to its atmosphere. Part of that comes from lyrics finding greater beauty even in a weak state, and ultimately clinging to hope even if it doesn't feel possible in the moment.
Kianna — “Oppressive”
Patrick: A song that sounds like it is being run through a pile of gravel as it plays out. Rapper Kianna excels at turning blow-out sonics that adds to the atmosphere of his music, with “Oppressive” almost being too obvious in what it is doing matching his swift rhymes with claustrophobic production. It can certainly come off as constricting, but with just enough wiggle room to enjoy his delivery. Listen above.
kurayamisaka — “sagittarius”
Patrick: Originally written for shoegaze-leaning idol outfit RAY, Shotaro Shimizu's “sagittarius” has the kind of drive and emotional core apt for his own band kurayamisaka. So...why not self-cover it? This version of “sagittarius” leaves the chug and hiss of the original in, but now the vocals gain a slightly heavier delivery courtesy of vocalist Sachi Naito, who is a little more livehouse than pop in her singing. Yet the main thrust remains, and sounds just as direct.
LUCY — “Goddamn!!!!!”
Ryo: LUCY made noise upon their debut in 2024 for assembling former idols from renowned groups like MIGMA SHELTER and Sakura Gakuin. They create buzz again through their new song which introduces not-so-new member Peri Ubu, who also used to be a part of BiS–a group whose idol-meets-punk sound lives in the music of LUCY. The pop punk of “Goddamn!!!!!” sounds more off-the-cuff than LUCY’s usual, and the scrappy feel only suits the vocals of the group’s new addition more as they all spring into action.
MON/KU — “SO MANY CATS”
Patrick: The idea of lots of cats is one fascinating to people. I'm not sure if it's still getting as much online, but “cat island” was once a point of intrigue and I get it...so much fluff in one place! Yet it's also kind of unnerving if you think about it, adding a sense of overwhelm to what should be such a cuddly situation. This same tension has played out in music — see the cozy but melancholy 25,000 Kittens — and now producer MON/KU conjures up a claustrophobic electronic song that makes me imagine being buried under felines with “SO MANY CATS.” Beyond that pet-store-gone-awry imagery, it's a fine piece of production where sounds textural elements become central. Listen above.
Natsudaidai — “Moonbeam”
Patrick: Sorry for the peak behind the writerly curtain, but this blurb arrives to you on a relatively hectic Monday morning, the sort where every minute makes going back to bed feel like a winning option. Bless duo Natsudaidai's “Moonbeam” for offering squiggly, stripped-down dance-pop ideal for getting through the first day of a new week with a summery hop to it.
Negicco — “Ghost”
Ryo: “Ghost” captures Negicco being more exhausted than enthusiastic about their days for their new song as a group in three years. Their change in mood calls for a different sound than the typical one for the idol group, something other than their usual cheery pop accentuated with soft jazz. The trio lands on the wispy dream-pop of Cuushe, where their gossamer arrangements catch the idols in a half-awaken state: “My life is starting to melt,” they sigh, and you believe it that they’re going to actually dissolve from how tenuous the music sounds. After more than 20 years as a group, there are still new sides of Negicco to discover.
ohayoumadayarou, Moto Kawabe and PARKGOLF — “Gu No Nai Men”
Patrick: A meeting of disparate sonic approaches resulting in an ennui-dappled tune. Former chelmico member Rachel's ohayoumadayarou project links up with singer-songwriter Moto Kawabe and often-frantic electronic tinkerer PARKGOLF for a stroll of a song featuring touches of what makes each player special. Kawabe adds guitar while PARKGOLF develops a beat marked by moments disrupting the melody. Rachel handles vocals, exploring the mundane and finding the mixed emotions within. That's heartfelt, but the real charm of “Gu No Nai Me” is how three distinct approaches to music work together. Listen above.
pinponpanpon & Varg²™ — “no it’s not”
Ryo: Pinponpanpon linking up with Varg2–a frequent collaborator with names like Bladee and Ecco2k–in a new song doesn’t come as a total surprise considering how the trio’s music is so tapped into internet rap. While they usually act a fool over the electro-slop beats of their main producer French Cries, the three sound appropriately downcast here as they try on the numbing cloud-rap of Drain Gang. They still get silly, reciting a hook that’s sticky from how nonsensical it is. Yet their mind seems to drift elsewhere with their flexing and loopy-spooky wordplay dissipating into the thick, languid haze.
safmusic — “Slide and Escape”
Ryo: safmusic’s new tracks from the Slide and Escape EP continue to instigate this question about the singer-songwriter: is he an electropop producer sampling the sounds and attitudes of indie rock, or is he a one-man band assembling his version of indie rock on a DAW? The title track initially suggests his music to be based on more of the latter idea with a prickly math-rock riff that sounds picked out from a fifth-wave emo mixtape. Yet his slick vocal melodies, delivered like an electropop singer’s impression of a pop-punk singer, come from a different realm, where there’s no distinction between SoundCloud rap and band rock—emo in spirit rather than sound. Traditional genres don’t neatly sum up the pop of “Slide and Escape,” and it feels incredibly modern for that.
SIRUP — “Not AI”
Patrick: The easy route to take with “Not AI” is applaud its mission statement, celebrate SIRUP's embrace of the human in the face of new tech confusion, and let the likes roll in. Yet in the wrong hands, a simple anti-artificial-intelligence screed turned musical could be lame as hell, keep it on your Substack. Thankfully, SIRUP knows how to lay down a groove, and in doing so actually underlines the sort of energy only an artist can bring to art.
Technopop Yuuki Synthesizer Chan — “rebloud”
Ryo: Like the singer’s own name, Technopop Yuuki Synthersizer Chan’s titles seem like a string of tags fed into an electropop generator: electric, mirage, emotions just about describe the ethereal feel behind her first original track of the same name. “Rebloud” from her new Sound・Organic・Traxx EP sounds like that code-feeding process in action. Acid-house bass lines start off a reciting of vaguely tech-y lyrics from the singer that’s indecipherable in meaning yet mesmerizing as pure rhyme, like Etsuko Yakushimaru spitballing over a brutal 303 loop. To be fair, overloading the machine with all this impenetrable code is sure to make it burp out an electro freakout as wild as this.
Trooper Salute - “Zetsuen”
Ryo: In a rather bold move, Trooper Salute share “Zetsuen” as a single where other bands would maybe stash a long-simmering track like it as a surprise for when their new album’s out. Once livening up the band’s whimsical new wave, their twiddling guitar riffs now build the arc of a six-minute math-rock epic. As the band members duet, they keep dialogue with their lyrics that’s full of regret, singing to each other like partners wishing to take back what they said to each other. When the dam finally breaks during the track’s final third, it makes for a fine moment of emo-rock catharsis that you swear would be reserved for the climax of the band’s upcoming album, not its second up.
Uchu Nekoko - “Flowing in the Wind”
Ryo: “this is a new song we’re currently on a new album”: these are satisfying words to be attached to a new release by Uchu Nekoko after a four-year absence, and especially with her 2019 record, Kimi No Youni Ikiraretara, grown into a cult classic among shoegaze circles. Like other fan favorites from the singer-songwriter, “Flowing in the Wind” is a drifter’s anthem from its sound but also its longing vibe: over jangling guitars with a light, shoegaze-esque touch of reverb, Nekoko sighs from afar about the changing expressions of a second person. For those already familiar with her work, it marks a lovely return; for those new here, let it be an introduction as well as a promise for more to come.
without - “Self & Health”
Ryo: For the band’s follow-up to last year’s Mind Haze single, without once again deliver gutsy emo-rock that’s been their calling card since their 2020 debut. But if the live-wired riffs and steady beats of this new song give the impression of frontman Minority Chikano dwelling in a well-settled head space, his actual words suggest a more complicated reality. As the guitars rip, he shouts about “all about the sad days” and opportunities to right some wrongs as if to rinse away his troubles with the ringing noise made with his band. “Self & Health” was a rather quick turnaround for without; maybe they needed to get this one out.
