Take a stroll out of Tower Records into this week’s issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds !

Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice week. I only have a couple of releases to talk about this week and I’m still peeling through some other ones. Enjoy this short and sweet episode of the newsletter 😊

This week’s episode includes:

Reviews of the best new albums that came out recently
*with some exceptions

Genre: Slowcore, Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter, Jazz
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

It’s rare to hear Japanese artists do Slowcore. While I’m not 100% sure if Asuka Kuroiwa is necessarily a huge Low or *gulp Red House Painters fan, the mood and tones of her music remind me of those bands. But Kuroiwa’s music is way more Jazzy, I rarely hear Slowcore band’s swing like this.

How’s your sunny day going? Want some doom and gloom? This is the album for you. From front to back, it’s all low-key and dismal. No sunshine here (go to the next album for that).

Kuroiwa’s speak/singing paired with noisy distorted guitars fading in and out over Jazz drumming describes nearly every single track on the album. If you’re in the mood for long Gothy and foreboding tracks, this hits the spot. However, please note that this album is a bit of a one trick pony, but that’s part of it’s charm.

Rating: 🥧🥧 Oh that’s hot

Favorite Tracks: Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6

Genre: Indie Pop, Indie Rock, Baroque Punk??
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

OCHA∞ME are one of those bands that when you see them live, you think to yourself “is everyone on the stage in this band?” and yes, everyone is in the band.

Especially when hearing their recordings, I noticed there were a lot of voices but the mix sounds so tight, I thought they were overdubs. But I was wrong, OCHA∞ME are a unit, a collective of sorts, united by their love of music and political standpoints.

Speaking of politics in Japanese music, it’s very rarely spoken about especially by younger musicians. However, OCHA∞ME make their views apparent and it’s a part of their aesthetic. I wouldn’t necessarily call them Riot grrrl, but the aesthetic is definitely there. Take “No Girlie Wrapping”, where they state how they don’t do their make up for you and you don’t own them over a track that sounds like a Pixies tribute band. In a country where I personally feel the male gaze is stronger than mine, it’s refreshing to hear someone talk about these topics.

While the lyrics are playfully serious, the music is straight up fun. You can tell they made these songs for themselves, and that they just want to enjoy playing music together. There’s something pure about it that is so appealing and keeps me revisiting certain tracks on this release.

Rating: 🥧 Pretty warm

Favorite Tracks: Salad Days, No Girlie Wrapping, walk on the boat, gradually, Girls Color

An older album you should check out

Genre: Dance Punk, Indie Rock
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Now let’s take about an album I never see anyone talk about that I absolutely love. MowMow Lulu Gyaban have a unique sound for sure. While Dance Punk is good description because of the obvious Disco and Punk influence in the drums, I think you could call them a Pop act and leave it there. While some songs are more noisy than others, they jokingly call themselves “J-Pop”.

Also, let’s just talk about how technically impressive this band is. I want you to remember this band is only 3 members and there are definitely very few overdubs in their recordings. First off, there is no guitar, instead you get distorted keyboards. Second, the drummer is the male vocals and you just need to watch a live video or two to see how crazy this is.

Another trait that makes MowMow unique are their ability to simultaneously be sincere and also not take themselves seriously. As a band from the “comedian” city of Osaka, their personality seeps through their lyrics and stage presence. While some of their lyrics sound like a joke, for example a song that just says “I want to look up your skirt”, they’re all commentaries on social issues that exist throughout Japan and the world.

This album grooves hard, and there are small touches such as the vocal effects on the opening track, to the keyboard break in track 2 that get me every time. Also, the final track on the album “Psyche na Koibito” is a 10/10 song. If you don’t check anything else out on here, definitely check out that one.

Favorite Tracks: Tracks 1, 2, 3, 8, 10

Some good EPs that recently came out

Here’s where you find the newest hottest singles on the planet from Japan

For Spotify and Apple Music, check out the official playlists!

Playlist Links:
Spotify
Apple Music

Yuma Abe - We Sing Together
YouTube
Genre: City Pop Revival, Indie Pop, Hosono-influenced
*vocalist of Never Young Beach

Hedigan’s - Gray
Genre: Soul, Indie Rock

Mei Watanabe & Shinichi Osawa - The Sign
YouTube
Genre: Electronic Dance Music, Pop

笹口騒音ハーモニカ - The Rockfather
YouTube
Genre: Indie Rock, Lo-Fi, Experimental

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

See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.