Monthly Listening: July 2022

This month's round-up of great new Japanese releases from Asunojokei, Perfume, Young Coco and more

Hi! This is July’s Monthly Listening list, a quick rundown of new Japanese albums I checked out this month that I enjoyed. You can browse past Monthly Listenings in the archives.

A group that’s been slowly returning to my rotation has been Kinki Kids. While the duo dropped a new single, TV programs have been more eager to spotlight their 25th anniversary since their debut and their run of classic singles, usually focusing on the more early stretch of their career that contains songs like “Glass No Shonen,” “Zenbu Dakishimete” and “Flower.” It honestly made me realize how many hits they have, and it gave me a good excuse to dive a bit more into their catalog. Like, have you put on “Aisareruyori Aishitai” lately? So, so good.

Here are the new albums I enjoyed during July. And here is this month’s Spotify playlist of top favorite new releases.

ECHO CHAMBER EP by AAAMYYY

pop / R&B | ► “That Smile” ft. Ano

Island by Asunojokei

black metal | ► “Chimera”

WORLD’S ROT by BRAVE OUT

hardcore punk | ► “World’s Rot”

SAKANA EP by downt

indie rock / emo | ► “minamisenju”

It’s a small world by harmoe

pop | ► “HAPPY CANDY MARCH”

SHUNKA RYOUGEN by HARU NEMURI

rock / punk | ► “Ikiru”

hoboyume by Kabanagu

pop / hyperpop | ► “itsumoyori”

Limre by Limre

indie rock | ► “Rokinon Sunset”

Overture by Midnight Grand Orchestra

electro pop / EDM | ► “SOS”

Midori 2 by midori

folk | ► “A Shade of Color”

Demo by OOPS

punk / post punk | ► “Abekobe Forest”

PLASMA by Perfume

electro pop | ► “Polygon Wave”

Delirium by Sedai

indie rock / emo | ► “tomoran”

The Truth of the Myth by Seimei

EDM / drum ‘n’ bass | ► “Formation 1992”

Be Corny by without

indie rock / emo | ► “Sundown”

The quiet before the storm by Young Coco

rap | ► “Feta!”

“Young Coco returns with a deft grasp of his voice, not only bending it into alien shapes in his verses but also crowding warped ad libs in between an already-noisy space. Paired with a series of bit-crushed production, the rapper lays out one psychedelic experience in his latest album.” —Read more about the album on issue #54.

S!CK LOV3 by Yung sticky wom

rap | ► “S!CK LOV3”

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