May I recommend you some songs to listen to? Get it, ’cause Ma-

Hello friends! Yes, it is I, Leap, and it is indeed yet again that time. That’s right, it’s the Monthly Recommendation Roundup! I’m your host as always, back with another round of Japanese music recommendations for the month. Of course, if you’ve been here before, you’d already know that 😉 However, if this happens to be your first time here and you’re not too sure what to expect—

At the end of each month, I put together a post featuring Japanese music that I’ve listened to and want to recommend to you all. Keep in mind, these songs don’t necessarily have to be recent releases. Some might be tracks I’ve just discovered, while others could be longtime favorites that I’m excited to share on a whim.

The songs I feature will all come from YouTube links to their respective PVs, which means there are some limitations on what I can include. However, I find that sticking to one platform ensures the most accessibility for everyone (and there are easy workarounds for region restrictions). This also allows me to create a playlist of all the songs featured in each Roundup, which I update and share at the end of every post

For reasons I’ll disclose at a later time, I actually held off on wrapping up this month’s Roundup until the very last day. Funny enough, that decision ended up working in my favor, since it let me catch a couple of late May drops I would’ve otherwise missed. Don’t usually get that kind of luxury, but hey, the last day of the month just so happened to land on a Saturday, so happy weekend to us all, and I hope you enjoy this one!

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メメント・ワルツ/memento waltz
by ブランデー戦記 (brandy senki)
Chills.

I thought it’d be fitting to start things off with this one, considering how long I’ve been talking about Brandy Senki’s first full-length debut since pretty much the end of last year. Now that it’s finally here, I won’t go into full review mode just yet, but I will say, BRANDY SENKI does a solid job of delivering on the promise the trio has been building toward. That said, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have my doubts going in. Like I mentioned in last month’s Roundup (and briefly touched on in the Advance Party), I was really hoping for a track that could serve as the big payoff. A definitive statement track that ties the whole thing together. And honestly, when I saw the tracklist and realized there were only three new songs that hadn’t already been released, I was this close to thinking we wouldn’t get it. But against all odds, Memento Waltz came through. While it’s not the closer, it might as well be the emotional climax of the album. The dramatic string arrangement gives the track a sense of weight and finality that really elevates the whole listening experience. For me, it ended up being the moment that justified the entire journey up to this point. Easily my favorite track off the album.

南新町/minami shinmachi
by ハク。 (haku.)
What a wild and interesting ride this band’s been on this past year

Just five months ago (back when I last talked about the band), I probably wouldn’t have considered Haku. to be a household name just yet. That all changed in a big way when their studio cover of MONO NO AWARE’s Kamukamo-Shikamo-Nidomokamo!! started blowing up across social media, specifically after fan-made animated videos featuring the track began making the rounds. It got so big that even some of my friends who don’t normally listen to Japanese music were sending me the clip. Calling it a phenomenon might actually be underselling it. That said, and as Goosebumps Radio touches on in a write-up they did over on their Substack, going viral doesn’t always guarantee long-term success. Despite the hype, Haku. still haven’t signed with a major label. Their biggest next step so far has been landing a spot on this year’s Next Music From Tokyo tour, which, while absolutely a big deal in terms of recognition, doesn’t always mean a mainstream breakthrough is right around the corner. What it has done, though, is put more eyes and ears on the band. And if they can keep those new listeners engaged, that might be all they need. To their credit, Haku. seem to be handling the moment well. If anything, it feels like they’re really starting to come into their own at just the right time, with tracks like Minami Shinmachi showing off the band’s knack for beautifully crafted melodies and gentle emotional build.

落書きのような/rakugaki no youna
by シベリアンハスキー (siberian husky)
On the subject of coming to their own.

The more I find myself becoming a fan of Siberian Husky, the more I regret not being able to catch them live during my last trip to Tokyo, even if the odds of it happening were slim to begin with. They were actually part of a show I had lined up as a backup option in case I didn’t win the lottery for the concert I did end up attending. Hopefully next time I’m in town, I get to make it up to them. I say that because the band continues to embody the kind of youthful, spirited, punk-tinged rock that I’ve come to really love from groups like Akuruyo no Hitsuji and Atomic Skipper. On top of that, vocalist Murata Mizuki is shaping up to be quite the frontwoman, with her commanding and resonant vocals taking center stage on Rakugaki no Youna. If I had to make a comparison, her voice actually reminds me a lot of yutori’s Satou Kotoko, who has been one to impress here on the Roundup on more than one occasion. Whether I eventually get to see them live or they end up making that big breakthrough into the mainstream first, we’ll just have to wait and see which happens sooner. Either which way it goes, you can bet I’ll be talking about it here.

YONA YONA feat. Rin音 (rinne)
by 春猿火 (harusaruhi)
Wheeew

It feels like it’s been a minute since we last had an artist from KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO show up here on the Roundup, which is a little wild considering how much of a fixture they’ve been in past years. I chalk that up to a handful of things. For one, I’ve been covering some of them more on the Substack side of things lately, most notably IsekaiJoucho and KAF, whose album releases I talked about last year. Another part of it is how band-heavy this year’s Roundups have ended up being. While I always pick my favorites from the month, I also try to curate the list in a way where the tracks all flow well together as a set, and sometimes the more production-based sound of KAMITSUBAKI songs stick out in comparison. That said, I definitely haven’t been ignoring them. Far from it, actually. If you’ve been checking out the Roundup EPs, you’ll know they’re still a consistent presence there. All that being said, there was no way I was gonna let this one slip by. Harusaruhi’s been on fire this year (pun notwithstandin-), and her EP RULE THE WORLD is easily one of my favorite releases of 2025 so far. YONA YONA keeps that momentum going. She’s clearly still in the zone, and this track is just an absolute vibe from start to finish. I’ve also gotta say, I love it whenever KAMITSUBAKI artists collaborate with folks outside of the whole 2D/2.5D realm. It always adds a nice bit of contrast and makes their virtual personas feel a little more grounded, like there’s something tangible tying them to our world even if they exist more digitally than physically.

Teenage Blue
by Klang Ruler
Oddly nostalgic

Klang Ruler is another one of those bands who, whenever I hear a song by them I always think to myself how they should probably be bigger and more popular than they are currently. I’m not saying that as some lifelong fan of theirs (though I’m sure those who are would gladly agree anyway) but more so just in acknowledgment of how radio friendly their sound is. When I first featured one of their songs here on the Roundup, I described it as sounding like a reworked milet song (lol), which in hindsight I realize I didn’t really expound on. What I meant by that is that it has a very-“produced” kind of sound to it. This I would mainly attribute to frontman yonkey who cut his teeth as a producer having worked with artists and other groups, most notably Atarashii Gakko! with their song NAINAINAI. Something to note is that while it has the same sort of polished mixing and mastering, Teenage Blue feels like it leans more towards a more band-oriented sound. What I find nostalgic about it is that the song structure ends up reminding me a lot of skate punk/pop punk bands from the late 90’s/early 2000s (think like Sum 41 or Blink 182), with how spirited and anthemic it is. It’s music that I personally grew up on myself so it does nail that “teenage” part of it for me right on the head as I’m sure it would for a lot of others.

ワンダフル・VHS/wonderful VHS
by 長瀬有花 (nagase yuka)
Congrats, Reiwa, you have a Yakushimaru Etsuko

If there’s one artist I’ve found myself completely enamored with lately, it’s the ever-enigmatic Nagase Yuka from RIOT MUSIC. I actually talked about her recently in this month’s issue of The J-Music Advance Party (which you should totally check out if you haven’t yet!), where I went and taked about her newly released concept album Mofu Mohu. There, I shared how my introduction to her music came through her song covers. One cover in particular that really stood out to me was her take on Kininaru ano ko by none other than Soutaiseiriron. Now, Kininaru ano ko just so happens to be one of my all-time favorite songs from one of the very first Japanese bands I ever followed, so needless to say, I have a strong emotional attachment to it. Hearing Nagase not only cover the track but absolutely nail it was such a treat, not just because it was a solid rendition in itself, but because it felt like a window into her own musical roots. Like, you don’t sing that song the way she did unless you’re a fan yourself. That brings me to Wonderful VHS, a track that to me just screams Soutaiseiriron influence. Beyond the quirkiness of the song as a whole, Nagase’s breathy vocals into what sounds like a vintage mic setup paired with this tight band sound is so reminiscent of the handiwork between Yakushimaru Etsuko and Nagai Seiichi. If I had to point to something even more specific, I’d say the song reminds me a lot of Sumatra Keibitai or Ohayou OOOParts, especially in those moments where she spells out “VHS”. Very Etsuko-esque if I do say so myself.

彩る/irodoru
by リーブル (“libre”)
I’m so here for it

I’ve always found it curious how rare male-female vocal duos are in Japanese music. Maybe I just haven’t been looking in the right places, but it really does feel like we haven’t had a standout pair make waves in a while. The last one that comes to mind for me is MaRuRitoRyuga, who were making some serious noise a couple of years back. It’s a bit of a shame, honestly, since something I don’t get to talk about nearly enough on the blog (mainly because there just haven’t been many opportunities to) is how much I personally enjoy the vocal interplay you get from a male-female pairing. I was actually a huge fan of MaRuRitoRyuga before they went on hiatus, something that, to this day, has left a noticeable void in my listening rotation. That said, the duo of Miyuu and Yosuke seem to be stepping up to the plate quite nicely as Libre, and their track Irodoru is proof of that. I’m really into the chemistry they’ve got going on, with both of their vocals blending and bouncing off each other so effortlessly. I’m especially taken by Miyuu’s voice. It’s got this lovely clarity and tone that stands out in all the right ways. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from these two.

天使ちゃんだよ/tenshi-chan dayo
by Trooper Salute
Cleeaaan

Fellow Japanese music enthusiast Yotsuballing put out a great pair of articles over on their Substack this month that I highly recommend checking out once you’re done here. The first one dives into how Spotify’s algorithmic recommendations might not always be the best route for music discovery, especially when you factor in the various behind-the-scenes reasons why certain tracks get pushed. The follow-up article then offers alternative ways to find new bands and artists (yours truly even gets a little shoutout in that one, lol). You’ll actually see me chiming in over in the comments for the second article, where I shared one of the ways I’ve been finding out about new music lately, and that’s through X (formerly Twitter). Since I follow a good number of indie bands and artists on the platform (and some following me back), my feed ends up showing posts from similar acts thanks to the overlap in followers. It’s definitely still algorithmic, but to me at least it feels a little more organic in that it’s based more on community cross-pollination than cold, hard data. At the very least that’s what I attribute to me having come across Trooper Salute and their track Tenshi-chan dayo. Credit where it’s due, the algorithm knew what it was doing sending this one my way. It took me a couple of listens to really put my finger on it, but I think what fascinates me most about their sound is how it leans into this really stylish retro-cool aesthetic, without actually retrofying the music itself. The end result is this slick, modern finish that still captures all the charm of the vibe they’re going for.

苦い煙/nigai kemuri
by Kucci
The hook is sooo good what

I’m sure a good number of you have started seeing Kucci pop up on your feeds these past few months. That’s no coincidence. Sony’s clearly betting big on the twenty-year-old singer-songwriter. I mean, her debut was a theme song tie-in for a movie adaptation of LINE’s manga Megami Korin, and she already has a couple of appearances on THE FIRST TAKE FLASH under her belt to promote her debut EP. Pretty wild. What’s even more surprising is that, from what I’ve gathered, she had only just come back to Japan last year after studying in Thailand, and seemingly didn’t have much of a public presence before this apart from her putting out song covers on TikTok. Whatever it was Sony saw in her, they clearly had good reason, and we’re finally getting to see it for ourselves. I’ve had her EP on repeat a good few times this month, and while a lot of the tracks sit comfortably within a general pop-rock framework, Nigai Kemuri stood out in a major way. There’s a kind of understated touch to it, maybe it’s just me, but I couldn’t help but be reminded of indigo la End’s Midori no Shoujo. That track was a huge gateway song for me when I was first diving into Japanese music, so getting a similar feeling here definitely leaves a strong impression. I’d love to hear more of Kucci exploring this kind of sound. There’s something special there.

記憶捏造計画/kioku netsuzou keikaku
by 松田今宵 (matsuda koyoi)
Got me once the loop kicked in

I don’t know what it is about drum and guitar loops, but something about them just scratches a very specific itch in my brain. If I had to guess, I’d chalk it up to muque and the deep influence they’ve had on my musical preferences ever since I first got into them. So naturally, the opening seconds of Kioku Netsuzou Keikaku hit me like a truck. The moment that syncopated beat kicks in around the 14-second mark, I’m hooked. And when Matsuda Koyoi’s vocals enter the mix? Line and sinker. Her voice floats effortlessly over the melody in a way that’s just so easy to fall into. Now, if you’re thinking, “Wait, Leap… isn’t this song from last year?” Yes, yes it is (lol). I completely missed it when the PV originally dropped, I’ll admit. But here’s the kicker, and why I’m bringing it up now; it just became available for streaming for the first time as part of an EP Matsuda quietly dropped a few days ago called Ke no Hi, which compiles all the tracks she released in 2024. So if this one speaks to you like it did to me, definitely go check out the full EP! And hey, for those of you who’ve been following the Roundup for a while, here’s a fun little easter egg: if you happen to click open the video description for the Kioku Netsuzou Keikaku PV, you’ll spot a familiar name listed as the director; none other than CLAN QUEEN’s Mai, who I’ve talked about before for the amazing portfolio she’s been quietly building. Turns out, she directed all of Matsuda’s PVs. Small world here one Roundup.

MUST LISTEN:
“Memento Waltz” by Brandy Senki and “Nigai Kemuri” by Kucci
As I said earlier, I genuinely think Memento Waltz is the best song off Brandy Senki’s self-titled debut, no question. I mentioned before how I was holding out hope for the band to drop a real standout leading up to the album’s release, and looking back now, maybe saving this one for the album was actually the best move they could’ve made with how rewarding it almost feels listening to it now. That said, I really do think this song deserves a proper push to match the weight it brings to the album, and getting a PV would be a perfect way to give it that extra shine. Same goes for Kucci’s Nigai Kemuri, actually. It might just be one of the most overlooked tracks I’ve heard this month. Being a B-side, it’s kind of flown under the radar, but I seriously think if her team gave it a proper spotlight, it’d turn a lot of heads.

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The YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music playlists have ALL now been updated with this month’s featured tracks. Make sure to follow them on your preferred listening service if you haven’t yet!

If you thought that was it, think again! Check out the Roundup Extended Playlist (EP) for even more of my recommended songs from this month!

What did you guys think of this month’s Roundup? Let me know in the comments!

And of course, if you’ve got any picks of your own from this past month, feel free to drop them in the comments! I’m always on the hunt for new stuff to check out, and I’d love to hear what’s been in your rotation lately 😌

The J-Music Advance Party continues to be a hallmark of good things to come, as evidenced by what we just heard from Brandy Senki and Nagase Yuka, both of whom we featured in this month’s issue for their respective album releases. If you didn’t know, I host a separate series in my Substack newsletter where I go over upcoming albums, EPs, and mini albums that I’m personally excited for at the start of each month. If that sounds like your kind of thing, feel free to subscribe and become a Party-goer (it’s free!). The next issue is scheduled for June 8, 2025. Hope to see you there!

We had a triple header in the J-Music Playlist Draft this month. Week 9, Week 10, and Week 11 (which commenced… earlier today! lol) are now in the books. If you’re not caught up, now’s the chance! Call it a Draft weekend 😎

No new album reviews from Al and I for the J-Music Exchange/Rate this month. As such, now’s the perfect time to go back and check out past reviews from us that you may have missed! I’ve got them listed alphabetically here on the blog, while Al has a chronological archive over at Omunibasu. If you’ve ever been curious about a particular album but never got around to actually doing so, there’s a chance one of us has written about it. Maybe (hopefully) it’s the last push that you needed to give it a spin 😁

That’s it for me! Thank you all so much for dropping by whenever you do. As always, the hope is that you guys walk away from here with at least a couple of new songs to add to your libraries, on top of just having had as fun of a time here as I had making this post. Catch you guys soon.

Happy Listening!