This Side of Japan's Best Japanese Music of 2022 on Bandcamp
This Side of Japan's Best Japanese Music of 2022 on Bandcamp
Listing the year's best Japanese music available on Bandcamp featuring Moon in June, Brave Out, Michiganized and many more
Hi! Welcome to This Side of Japan, a newsletter on Japanese music, new and old. You can check out previous issues here.
Bandcamp has been instrumental in my discovery of indie acts across many scenes and genres in Japan, but more importantly, it’s a marketplace of music where you can financially support your favorite musicians more directly than the big streaming services. Especially during Bandcamp Fridays, the one day every month where Bandcamp waives its share of purchases made so the musician gets every piece of the profit.
This year, every quarter, a few days before a Bandcamp Friday, I’ve been sharing threads on Twitter rounding up my favorite new Japanese music releases also available on Bandcamp. The thinking is, it’s maybe better if readers know what’s new and/or worthwhile the days before, so they can make more educated purchasing decisions when the actual day comes rather than scrambling trying to choose what to get. Following that spirit, since the end of the year is close and the next Bandcamp Friday is this Friday, December 2nd, I decided to compile a bigger list of my favorite releases from the entire year that’s available on Bandcamp. 40 albums, 75 tracks, almost 100 different artists—some you may recognize from past Monthly Listenings.
Happy listening! And see you in the coming weeks for the year-end lists!
Albums
4s4ki - Killer in Neverland | hyperpop
Asunojokei - Island | blackgaze
BRAVE OUT - WORLD’S ROT | hardcore punk
cetow - One Vision | math rock
Dai Dai Dai - MAYBE PERFECT | breakcore / idol
Dayzero - Subworld Communication | post-dubstep
downt - SAKANA EP | emo
THE EARTH EARTH - THE EARTH EARTH | shoegaze
Find Me Alone - Throw on Your Red Flannel and Old Skools Because We’re Going Back Home | pop punk
Forbear - 4 songs | indie rock
Foursidewalks - From a Suburb | emo
H. Takahashi - Paleozoic | ambient
Haretokidoki - LOST MEMORY | synth pop
HARU NEMURI - Shunka Ryougen | post-hardcore
Hoach5000 - FINAL | indie rock
ItoShin - Shine on | house
kudaranai 1nichi - rebound | emo
Masayoshi Iimori & viwiv - The Two Ravers EP | EDM
MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS - Awakening:Sleeping | indie rock
Moon in June - evergreen | dream pop
morimoto naoki, UYUNI, yumegiwatone - mori no tokeru | ambient
Natsu Summer & RYUSENKEI - SUN KISSED LADY | city pop
Nerd Magnet - I’m Still Here | pop punk
ONLY THE LAST SONG / HETH - Intentions | powerviolence
OOPS - DEMO | punk
Penguin No Yuuutsu - Aimaimu | indie rock
Planet After the Rain - Planet After the Rain | post-hardcore / idol
punipunidenki - Sougyou | R&B
SANRAKU STORE - SANRAKU STORE | math rock
Sedai - Delirium | emo
Seimei - The Truth of the Myth | drum ‘n’ bass
Shapeshifter - Dark Ritual | powerviolence
SOM4LI - ESCAPISM | post-punk
(((sssurrounddd))) - After Hours | deep house
TORiENA - RAW | EDM
Toto Hoshimiya & TEMPLIME - skycave | electropop / 2-step
Tsudio Studio - My Room | synth-pop
uri gagarn - no. 2 oracle | indie rock
Various artists/PURE GOOHN - Per Capita 2 | ambient
without - Be Corny | pop punk
Songs
4s4ki - “LOG OUT” | hyperpop
ACHARU - “FREE YOUR MIND” | R&B
age - “warai_motoko” | hard trance
ananas - “Enough of Excuses” | punk
Angry Son - “Indifference” | screamo
ankokushinwa - “lose control” | jungle
Archipelago Soundsystem - “True electronics” | garage
Avod - “Disaster” | thrash metal
BRAVE OUT - “World’s Rot” | hardcore punk
Buoy - “Steam” | folk
caico - “Caico” | post-hardcore
CAILN - “Mujihi No Shinzui” | death metal
Caramel Chameleon - “Sufi Like Acid” | acid
Certain - “Sorry” | pop punk
cetow - “In this world” | math rock
day’s eye - “poinsettia” | post-hardcore
DESERVE TO DIE - “Drop” | powerviolence
DJ.DAI - “C-U-O” | drum ‘n’ bass
downt - “minamisenju” | emo
THE EARTH EARTH - “peel slowly & see” | shoegaze
Fellsius - “Hatch” | EDM
Find Me Alone - “Foreigner” | pop punk
Forbear - “Read On” | indie rock
Foursidewalks - “1995” | emo
Gonno - “Warbly FM” | IDM
Guchon - “Pineapple Groove” | house
Haretokidoki - “winter memory” | synth pop
HARU NEMURI - “Shunka Ryougen” | post-hardcore
Hoach5000 - “Paper Bag” | indie rock
Inaka Emotion - “Inscription” | post-hardcore
Jiho - “Cavern” | deep techno
KLONNS - “CROW” | hardcore punk
KO3 ft. Konomi Fujimura - “Eeny Meeny…” | EDM
KokoroNoMe - “Izumi” | post-hardcore
Lightsoul - “Bottom of the Third” | pop punk
Lucie,Too - “heartless” | indie rock
Masayoshi Iimori & viwiv - “Dustware” | EDM
MEGA X - “Find Your Toy” | indie rock
Michiganized - “Reflections” | indie rock
Military Shadow - “Hounds of Greed and Death” | speed metal
Moon in June - “Summer Pop’97” | dream pop
mophing people - “Be Myself” | indie rock
NANAMI - “seaside drive” | pop punk
Nerd Magnet - “Everything’s Ruined!” | pop punk
No Point in Living - “Heaven That We Can’t Reach” | death metal
OOPS - “Abekobe Forest” | indie rock
ORANGE POOLSIDE - “1996” | emo
Penguin No Yuuutsu - “Ochiru” | indie rock
PICNIC WOMEN - “Nude” | juke
Planet After the Rain - “CO2” | post-rock / idol
The Prims - “icecream” | indie rock
Ringwanderung - “puls” | math rock / idol
ROCCON - “Disguised in ‘Righteousness’” | powerviolence
Sayuu - “Sai-Kou” | post-punk
School Girl Complex - “Summer, evening, and you” | indie rock
Sedai - “tomoran” | emo
Seimei - “Formation 1992”
Shapeshifter - “Black Liquid” | powerviolence
Shine of Ugly Jewel - “Zaikyuu No Mayu” | black metal
Sigh - “Hail Horror Hail” | metal
sniff - “From now on” | emo
Soccer. - “The Summer Will Be Here Soon” | emo
SOM4LI - “Flying Fuck” | post-punk
Someday’s Gone - “Eighteen” | emo
STUDS - “TROUBLEMAKER” | pop punk
Sugar - “No stock” | hardcore punk
switchblade - “Yoru Ni Odoru” | emo
tip top nap - “Machi No Akari” | indie rock
TORiENA - “RAW” | EDM
Toto Hoshimiya & TEMPLIME - “skycave” | electropop / 2-step
TTUD - “Nagisamade” | emo
Twisted Soul 9999 - “Sprite” | juke / jungle
uri gagarn - “Tail” | indie rock
WETNAP - “Summer Solstice, Fern in a Dream” | post-hardcore
yardland - “MILKY” | indie rock / power pop
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Next issue of This Side of Japan is out December 9. You can check out previous issues of the newsletter here.
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