Hikaru Utada, 43, proves they can still be playful as they make COCOMELON music

‘the collective soul and unconscious: chapter two’ is a far cry from its predecessor, and an even further cry from the ‘billage of perception’ series. Ultimately, whilst delivering some fun songs and hooks - this full album unfortunately strips the group of some of the key strengths that have fortified their discography over the past couple of years. However, that isn’t to say there aren’t some moments of brilliance amongst the madness.

‘$ECRET NO ... read more

‘NAIL’ is another fun EP from Yves which pushes further and further her willingness to try out new sounds and explore her musical identity. However there is a slight lack of structure and of Yves herself that holds the EP back at its most daring moments.

Opening track ‘It’ is fairly simple and understated - but is a really nice introduction to the EP. You can very clearly hear the influence of Oklou’s ‘Galore’ here. It’s nice to see that Yves has ... read more

‘XO, My Cyberlove’ shows more potential and some refinement of Chuu’s songwriting - but still leans into some amateurish sensibilities. For a first album it’s solid, but needs some filler cutting to be stronger.

There are some great pop tracks on the soloist’s debut album. The title track is fairly simple and sparkly production-wise, but cleverly highlights Chuu’s rich vocal texture. There are some interesting melodies on the post-hook which really shine ... read more

'meta milfeuille' is a greatly needed return to form for daoko. After 2024's amateurish 'Slash n Burn', this EP marks a step back into the right direction for the producer and vocalist. This EP is short, coming in at only 14 minutes, but is layered with electric choruses and an intricate production. The chorus of 'MeeM' is simple but charged with energy, whilst still maintaining an air of intrigue - almost chiming with melodies thta would fit to wedding bells. ... read more

On “Soft Error”, YVES proves herself to be a potent curator of sounds and shows significant artistic growth from her prior two releases. The tracks are all great, but I’m waiting to see how she continues to put her own spin on these sounds in the future.

“White Cat” purrs with sounds borrowed from digicore and mid 2010s hyperpop. It calls back to that sweet era of PC music with scrunchy synths and glitched - but still feels like it’s not too dated. I think ... read more

“<Club Icarus>” somewhat marks a departure from the typical LOONA sound, but does so in a way that proves that the group and their creative team can not only keep up with, but also completely outperform the current kpop landscape.

The intro track “Club for the Broken” is orchestral and cinematic, a perfect taste of the title track “Icarus”. “Icarus” kind of feels like a spiritual successor to “Butterfly” in a sense, with the ... read more

Melodramatic, theatrical, and chameleonic. “Addison” bulldozes into the pop world wearing its references on its sleeve. Whilst I’m sure the album will be bombarded with critiques of authenticity, at the end of the day she made a good pop album… What else is there to say?

Immediately you can hear a major Lana Del Rey influence on the record. The lead single “Diet Pepsi” borrows from “Born To Die” and “Lust For Life” with its longing ... read more

“Evangelic Girl is a Gun” is another great album from yeule, yet at times it makes me question the progression of her sound and artistic development. Whilst there are no explicitly bad tracks that drag the album down, it as a whole feels a tad more inconsequential than her previous projects. With that being said, the album houses some of her most sonically distinct tracks yet.

Yeule’s artistry has transitioned significantly from the glimmering and glowing soft beats of ... read more

f5ve have been gaining popularity recently for being the “chronically online hyperpop jpop group”, but “SEQUENCE 01” proves that they offer so much more than that. f5ve have come out with one of the most refreshingly adventurous and fun pop albums in the Jpop music sphere in a long time.

As the intro track “Sequence 01” immerses us into the soundscape immediately, before we are hit with the amazing first full track “Underground”. ... read more

On “Only Cry In The Rain” Chuu continues to explore more different sounds as a soloist. Whilst I don’t quite think she’s fully found her sound yet - she’s gotten closer and closer with each release. “Only Cry In The Rain” is Chuu’s strongest release so far!

Title track “Only Cry In The Rain” is a downtempo synthpop track, whilst it can feel a tad generic at times, especially with the verses feeling bare, Chuu’s delivery really ... read more

I like the sound she’s going for here but I find the melodies kind of boring and the lyrics are… a bit too on the nose for me 😭

“BURN” is a perfectly fine pre-release, I’m not quite sure of how I feel about it after a 6 year long wait. I like the main chorus melody, but coming after “Virtual Angel” it feels a little underwhelming. Knowing that the track was supposed to be released by the full group LOONA after “Butterfly” also feels a bit strange. That being said, the strengths of “BURN” lie in the shimmery eerie synths that make up the backbone of the verses. A ... read more

SPELLLING’s ‘Portrait Of My Heart’ is a departure somewhat from the softer and more synthetic sound of ‘The Turning Wheel’ - opting instead for a more rock and guitar-based sound as its base. What ‘Portrait Of My Heart’ does well is blend SPELLLING’s traditional art pop sound with the rock elements. Whilst the album is full of interesting soundscapes, at times it leans a tad into generic territory.

The lead single and opening track ... read more

This feels like a callback to the “Electra Heart” sound, specifically “Bubblegum Bitch” but with updated production. Far better than “Butterfly” and I really hope the rest of the album follows this sound more. This almost feels Lily Allen-esque in places which I really like!

So much better than alibi :) I feel like “Destiny Arrives” preserves all that I like about Spellling’s previous work, whilst also bringing in a tinge of that new indie rock sound she’s leaning into. I hope the rest of the album leans more towards this type of style

It’s cute and fun! It feels more like an album deep cut, but I like that it feels cohesive with the other singles! The only issue I have with “Magic Clock” is that it’s too short :( I would’ve loved a cute outro where A.G. Cook and Bloodpop could go crazy on the production… but I’m still very excited to see what the album has in store for us!!

Between ‘Luminescent Creatures’, Kelela’s ‘Raven’, and Weyes Blood’s ‘Titanic Rising’ - I seem to just really enjoy albums where I feel like I’m sinking to the bottom of the ocean floor.

The whimsical charm of Ichiko Aoba’s music has been a part of my life for about half a decade now. My first introduction being the viscerality of ‘0’. From then, I remember the album release campaign for ‘Windswept Adan’, from ... read more

“Alibi” has the ingredients for a great song, but falls flat with a generic sounding chorus and some weird mixing. I think this sound has potential to work well with Spellling’s vocal quirks and production embellishments but it’s a little bit weaker on this track. I’m still looking forward to the album though!

Oklou’s “Choke Enough” exists in a liminal space, feeling like a captured grain of sand in an hourglass, yet it still encapsulates a myriad of different feelings and stories. Whilst the album takes a few tracks to pick up, it occupies such a beautiful and heavy emptiness - and really explores a nice range of different sounds.

We enter “choke enough” through “endless”, with blips and bloops of synthesizers against a rumbling backdrop. We see cold synths ... read more