Monthly Listening: May 2023
This month's round-up of great new Japanese releases from iri, cero, Motto Music and more
Hi! This is May’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.
The manga-turned-anime Oshi No Ko has been inescapable in the J-pop sphere this past month with countless people recording covers of either YOASOBI’s glorious theme song for the show, “Idol,” or “Sign Wa B” by B Komachi, the fictional idol group from the series. I’ve been engaging with the anime as well, live-watching and discussing it with a few friends on their Twitch channel. Six episodes in as of this writing, the show has been very entertaining for me so far, a refreshing take on idol as well as the entertainment industry that thankfully does away with the 101-level primers or the aspiration to be an all-compassing explainer of its subjects. And it’s been just fun having an opportunity to discuss idol with friends who’s just as engaged and thoughtful about the culture and its participants.
Our streaming schedules have been sporadic, but we’ll tweet it out if you do want to tune in next time. Until then, here are the new releases that I enjoyed checking out during the month of May. And here is this month’s playlist of my top 40 favorite songs.
Happy listening!
Coffee by AMEFURASSHI
dance pop / idol | ► “Love Is Love”
e o by cero
rock | ► “Nemesis”
Naked by Chamina
pop / hip hop | ► “I’m Not OK”
fuckin’ sisters by femme fatale
electro pop / idol | ► “step into”
Peeling vol. 1 by IJOU
electronic | ► “Kabi”
Private by iri
R&B | ► “Season”
MAKTUB by JJJ
hip hop / rap | ► “Cyberpunk” ft. Benjazzy
Untopia by KRUELTY
death metal | ► “Unknown Name”
Tracks by Kukengendai
experimental | ► “Burst Policy”
Angles. by Various artists/Motto Music
electronic / pop | ► “magella magellan” by gaburyu
acetone by Sasuke Haraguchi
glitch pop | ► “Notopia”
care by SNJO
electronic / funk | ► “Wander”
Laws of Gravity by What goes up…
indie rock / pop punk | ► “Unfit”
Absurd World by Without Defeat
death metal / hardcore punk | ► “Auto Suggestion”
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