🎧 Issue #57

A howdy do to you, welcome to the Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds hullabaloo!

Happy New Year!! 🎉

It’s been a minute, which means I had soooo much music to shift through. Thank you all so much for your patience and I hope you enjoy all of this new music I found.

Also, my next post will be the 2025 round up with my top 10 album list! It will take just a little bit and I’m coming through later than most people, but I’m positive you will find some good music you may have missed out last year.

🥧Freshly Baked Albums 🥧

^{Reviews of the best new-ish albums}

doer (行為者) - decline

Genre: Power Pop, Noise Pop, Lo-Fi
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

One of the most DIY releases you’ll ever hear, doer is the natural conclusion of Guided By Voices’ noise pop basement recordings. Every song sounds like it was recorded in an open room with a cheap mic hanging down in the middle, bringing forth enough angst to fuel an entire middle school.

Being real here, all of doer’s hooks blend together and it’s really difficult to distinguish one song from another. However, while it might not be the best or most complex release of the past month or so, what it lacks in technicality it makes up for in charm and passion.

Favorite Tracks: 1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 14

ymss - your chorus

Genre: Indie Rock, Slowcore
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

With one of the tightest rhythm sections in Tokyo, ymss has blessed us with their first album. A journey down Slowcore memory lane, your chorus brings you simple, grooving tunes that aren’t afraid to jam out on a single idea.

Despite the guitar’s sounding like a Slint cover band, tracks like “Lake” and “Dreamer” also capture ymss in their most vulnerable, recordings where you could imagine a tiny pin drop being able to bleed into the mix.

Favorite Tracks: Give me more chorus, Lake, 11°C, Dreamer, Big Storm

Cwondo - Memoride 2

Genre: Art Pop, Glitch Pop
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Maybe one of the most promising and upcoming songwriters in the post-Hyperpop/post-Hakushi Hasegawa experimental pop world, Cwondo is here again with another collection of challenging yet catchy pop songs.

While some of his songs can be a bit repetitive and don’t hold my attention quite as much as others, the tracks that hit really really hit and if it was just those songs, this album would definitely make my top 10 of year (it still might be there though). As a producer/sound maker though, he’s top tier and I’m excited to see what he puts out in the future.

Favorite Tracks: Panointro, Aog, Mudgikk, Akokoda, Apinopunte, Karakara

Fujin Club - Fujin Biyori

Genre: Post-Shibuya-Kei, Indie Pop
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Do you like feel good Shibuya-Kei? Do you also like basslines that make you feel like you’re riding a rainbow of magic and sunshine? Of course you do, because Reiji Okii of Cymbals and Tweedees fame is here to shred.

This is Fujin Club’s first full length album in 9 years, which makes sense because they are a group of 5 ladies that remain mostly anonymous and just make music for fun. Nothing new, but nothing bad either, a nice collection of feel good music. This is the ultimate guilty pleasure album.

Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7

Saki Arita - Kamome

Genre: Indie Pop, Singer-Songwriter
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Saki Arita is back again with her 2nd album this year. This time, there’s a leap in production quality, with what sounds like a full band around this time. While the songs sound a little a richer and more full, the home-made sound that encompassed her previous work was more charming.

While I might be the only one that liked her previous album Whale, this album is definitely a more mature step forward and I look forward to her next album.

Favorite Tracks: 1, 3, 8, 9

🍱Mystery Bento🍱

^{An older album you should check out}

There were a lot of new release to go through… so sorry no Mystery Bento this time :(

♨️ Steaming EPs ♨️ 

^{Some good EPs that recently came out}

Tiger Bae - Drift With Me

Genre: Indie Soul, Funk
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
*Technically a “mini-album”.

Meg Bonus - LOSS EP

Genre: Indie Rock, Math Rock
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

TOMC - Music For IKA EP

Genre: Indie Rock, Math Rock
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

🍵 Piping Hot Playlists 🍵

The hottest Japanese music playlists around.

Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds official Spotify and Apple Music playlists below!
*Will be updated soon!

Playlist Links:
Spotify
Apple Music

❤️‍🔥 Thank you! ❤️‍🔥 

As always, thank you thank you sooooo much for reading this issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds! 🥹

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See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.

All SS Sounds logos and images were created by local Tokyo artist Mai Moroe.
https://www.instagram.com/maimoroe/
https://www.moroemai.com/