Monthly Listening: September 2021
This month's rundown of great new releases by AAAMYYY, cesco, FNCY and more
Hi! This is September’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.
This month, I started to get really into the cast of the BanG Dream! franchise. I had been checking in on new music by Roselia and Raise A Suilen here and there before I officially fell into this, but I still got to get acquainted with the songs of Poppin’ Party, especially with the group’s Aimi and Ayasa Itou being the ones who suck me in for good.
The two voice actresses, along with their longtime peer Mikoi Sasaki, have a YouTube channel together, and after watching a video of them try alcohol-soaked watermelons (apparently it’s a dish trending among YouTubers right now?) on a whim, I have been watching nearly every video. I vaguely knew of Aimi from a friend who’s big into BanG! Dream; I did not know at all that Itou was also a member of Poppin’ Party. Now I’m slowly moving over to BanDori’s own YouTube channel as well as the channel hosted by Hibiki, the talent agency which the two Poppin’ Party members call home. Really, any video with Aimi in it, I’ll watch.
Of course, I’ve been checking out new music in between my YouTube marathons. A seiyuu one here, a hip hop one there, and also an indie rock one. Here are the new releases I enjoyed September. And as usual, here is a Spotify playlist of songs that didn’t make the cut for the main newsletter.
Happy listening!
Annihilation by AAAMYYY | pop / R&B
► “TAKES TIME”
*Read more about the album in issue #41
omen EP by ASA Wu | R&B
► “pearl fruit”
SHOWER by Ayami Muto | pop
► “SHOWER”
Attitude by B.O.L.T | pop punk / idol
► “Smile Flower”
*Read more about the album in “Behind the Attitude of B.O.L.T: A Mini Guide to the Pop Punk Bands Featured in the Idol Group’s New Album”
The Natural Diet by cesco | indie rock
► “4th of July”
Gala by DADARAY | jazz rock
► “Hana Wa Kawanai”
DIALOGUE+1 by DIALOGUE+ | pop
► “Ayafuwa Asterisk”
FNCY BY FNCY by FNCY | hip hop
*Read more about the album in issue #41
Pale by I.P.U. | ambient
► “Transition”
Opto3:Neibiss by Kohgaku | funk / hip hop
► “Do What”
Sample Preface by Neibiss | rap / hip hop
Orb by Pearl Center | pop rock / synth pop
► “Alright”
moratorium EP by Split End | indie rock
► “TEENAGER”
Juniper by Yumi Iwaki | ambient
► “Sour Grape”
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