Time for a heat check 😎

Hey you! Yeah, you! … Hi 😝 And welcome back to the one and only J-Music Exchange/Rate! We’re here once again with another round of Japanese music album reviews for you all, but before we jump into it, if you’re new around here and wondering why this series is even called that in the first place—

The Exchange/Rate is a tandem album review series conducted every month by yours truly alongside my good friend and fellow Japanese music fan Al (from Omunibasu). Each month we decide on a specific theme with which our reviews would revolve around. We then pick out albums from our respective libraries which we think best coincides with that theme. We will then give the album we chose to the other person and vice versa (exchange), after which we then listen to and subsequently review the album we were given (rate). This project has not only allowed us to explore music beyond our libraries, but it provides an opportunity for us to see our favorite albums from a different point of view. It is our hope that this series is able to do the same for you and that you either find a new artist to try out and/or we offer you a fresh take on one of your favorite albums 

Al and I take turns picking the theme each month, and this time around, I get the honor of doing so once again. With us now officially past the halfway mark of the year, I figured it’d be the perfect time to look back and shine a light on what we think have been some of 2025’s standout releases so far. If you’re familiar with how we do things here, you’ll know that we usually save our big Album of the Year picks for the end of the year. While there’s definitely some overlap with that, these selections are more about the albums we don’t necessarily see taking the “AotY” crown, but still absolutely deserve some love and, most importantly, a listen.

To that end, I passed along Harusaruhi’s first mini-album RULE THE WORLD to Al (which you can check out his review of here!). In return, Al handed me CONTRAST by bane.

Let’s give it a spin!

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Born and raised in Yokohama, bane is a singer-songwriter whose roots lie in shigin (a traditional form of Japanese poetry recitation she began at the age of 5) as well as R&B and soul. She began her musical activities as a singer-songwriter in April 2020. In September 2022, she released her first EP, air. Her second EP, mono, followed in December 2023, and she held her first successful solo live show in January of the following year. With sultry lyrics and a genre-defying sound, her music is defined by a groovy, expressive voice that leaves a lasting impression.

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(＊Spotify link to the full album)

CDJapan Affiliate Link(s):
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＜T ｒａｃｋｌｉｓｔ＞

０１・CONTRAST
０２・Signal (feat. Shin Sakiura)
０３・Pluto
０４・unbalance
０５・UmU

Ａｌ：One of my most listened-to albums from the past couple years is Shin Sakiura’s Inner Division, of which I have suggested to Leap in a previous E/R because of its sweet vocal features. And I’ll admit that I may have put most of my focus on a couple specific guest appearances on it, such as the superb tracks with Wez Atlas and Furui Riho, while not giving enough praise to the others. The one that seems to always get lost in my memory would be the song featuring R&B/soul singer-songwriter bane, which in no way was it a bad track but again, my biases for certain artists can regretfully get in the way at times.

But as I learned recently, bane released a brand new EP back in March, and considering I never listened to her own discography, I thought it’d be a good opportunity to see what else she’s all about. And boy oh boy, was this a short-yet-fun and fire release.

What’s interesting is that this feels like the inverse of what Leap and I talked about last October, where instead of showcasing a singular music producer’s album that featured various vocalists, bane got a bunch of cool ass producers to make some comps for her to perform over. “Contrast” having those fast bumping beats from A.G.O combined with bane’s smooth vocals felt like a fantastic opener for this EP, or the more traditional low-key R&B vibe within “Unbalance”, or even seeing her collab with Shin Sakiura once again on a sweet track… there’s a lot to like about this EP, especially in regards to how bane presents herself as a captivating singer in all of these songs. And I really do believe that after going through CONTRAST a few times, bane’s now become a vocal staple whenever I’m in the mood for some cool, contemporary Japanese R&B.

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０１・CONTRAST
The EP kicks off with its title track, CONTRAST, composed and produced by A.G.O who, is no stranger to Japan’s R&B scene, having previously worked with well-established names like SIRUP and Furui Riho. Now, I usually expect an opener to set the tone and really grab your attention (as has become somewhat of a guiding principle for me when I review an album here for the Exhange/Rate), but calling this one “strong” honestly feels like an understatement. And I don’t just mean that because of the names behind it. For my money, it’s arguably one of, if not the best track on the entire EP.

I’m getting way ahead of myself here of course, as we literally just started, but we’ll get to how that’s actually relevant to my thoughts on the release as a whole. If I had to explain why this track stands out to me above the rest on the EP, it’s really all about how well bane’s voice meshes with this kind of club-y, up-tempo production. Her cool, sultry delivery provides a really nice “contrast” (pun notwithstanding) against the lively beat. It’s something you’ll pick up on pretty quickly when you listen. And without spoiling too much, I’ll just say it’s worth noting that every one of the five tracks on CONTRAST was composed and produced by a different person.

０２・Signal (feat. Shin Sakiura)
Which brings us to the second track on the album, and also my second favorite off of CONTRAST, Signal, composed and produced (as you’ll see in the track title) by none other than Shin Sakiura. If the name rings a bell, not only did we do a review of his album for a previous Exchange/Rate review (check it out here if you haven’t yet already!), but that very same album also featured bane. A full circle moment here, in that sense. That being said, while I didn’t get the chance to talk about it in my Inner Division review, I did go back and give that track another listen to serve as a bit of a frame of reference, and in doing so, I actually came to realize a few more things about bane that I hadn’t picked up on before.

One thing that should quickly become apparent, especially if you’re listening along coming off the previous track, is that bane has tremendous vocal range. You do get a hint of it already in CONTRAST with the song’s highs and lows, but in my opinion, it’s a little hard to fully appreciate because of how heavily produced that track is. By contrast (I realize I also just use this word a lot, lol), Shin Sakiura’s production here is much more subdued, leaning into his more organic, acoustic guitar-centered beat-making style. And because the arrangement is relatively simpler, it gives bane’s natural singing voice all the space it needs to shine. There’s a subtle, lovely rasp to her tone, and she carries a note incredibly well in my opinion.

０３・Pluto
Producer grooveman Spot takes the reins for the third track of the EP, Pluto, which brings us back to the club-y style we started with. What sets this one apart from the previous two songs, though, is that I’d say it’s the “brightest”-sounding track on CONTRAST so far. And I mean that in a strictly auditory sense, as there’s a distinct airiness and sibilance to the vibe here that contrasts nicely with the darker, warmer tones we got from CONTRAST and Signal. Interestingly, though, a major theme of the EP seems to be the interplay between light and dark, and while I’ll touch more on that a bit later, I do appreciate how you can actually hear that imagery come through in the songs.

Speaking on the track itself, because I went and listened to (and subsequently reviewed) ASOBOiSM’s OOTD back in March, Pluto to me actually sounds more like an ASOBOiSM-type beat. If I had to put it into words, I’d say it carries a more playful tone and style, one that I think suits ASOBOiSM’s approach a bit more than bane’s smoother, more velvety delivery. Not to say it’s a bad song or anything. In fact, I’d probably rank it third if I were to order the tracks on CONTRAST by preference, which happens to line up with its track listing too, funnily enough. Long-time Exchange/Rate readers might already have a sense of where this is heading in terms of my overall thoughts, but I digress.

０５・UmU
The final track on CONTRAST is the adorably titled UmU (lol), which, fun fact, was actually composed and produced by bane herself. Tonally though, the song is arguably anything but “adorable,” and is probably the most mature-sounding cut on the EP. That might just be the ballad bias talking, since it’s the only ballad on here, it already stands out, but the overall vibe really is a complete departure from where we were a couple tracks ago. Earlier, we were vibing in the club, and now we’re front row, fully locked in, getting the full breadth of bane’s vocal chops on display. Yet another testament to her range, not just vocally, but as a performer too.

That being said, UmU might actually be the song I liked the least out of everything on the EP. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing inherently wrong with it, and it’s not about the song sticking out stylistically either. It’s more that, in my opinion, bane really shines when she leans into that R&B singer-songwriter lane rather than a more traditional ballad-style songstress, if that makes sense. Could just be a me thing. Again, this isn’t a knock on her vocal ability at all. If there’s one thing I hope comes through in this review (and something I came to realize more as I wrote it), it’s that bane is, without question, a singer through and through, and a really good one at that.

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Speaking from a more literary perspective, one of the central conflicts explored in the title track CONTRAST is the timeless struggle between light and darkness, both in the world around us and within ourselves. But rather than framing it as a battle to be won, the song offers a more nuanced take: it encourages us to embrace the darkness instead of resisting it. To accept our pain, our worries, and to dance through the night as we await the sunlight of a new day. Because ultimately, as the song suggests, light and darkness aren’t enemies, they’re two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. It’s a beautiful message, and one I think a lot of listeners can resonate with in their own lives.

Tonally, and as I hope I was able to highlight while going over some of the tracks, there’s also a noticeable contrast within the EP itself. The first half of CONTRAST, which I’d argue represents “light,” feels more vibrant and alive. Tracks like CONTRAST, Signal, and Pluto are upbeat and danceable, the kind of songs you’d imagine playing in a club. In comparison, the latter half, unbalance and UmU, shifts toward a darker, more introspective tone. There’s a stillness to these songs, with their slower pacing and subdued arrangements, that evokes “darkness.” In that sense, the EP as a whole also becomes a union of light and darkness, opposites brought together as two halves of a complete whole.

Whether or not this was the intended design is beyond me, but personally I think it’s a good lens through which to view CONTRAST, as a deliberate dichotomy. And it’s within this dichotomy that I think the EP finds both its greatest strength and, admittedly (at least in my opinion), its biggest weakness. From a pure listening standpoint, I much, much prefer the first half of the EP over the latter. The opening three tracks were far more enjoyable in my opinion and aligned much more with the kind of music I naturally gravitate toward and want to keep coming back to. Unfortunately, I can’t really say the same for the final two songs, which didn’t leave as strong of an impression for me.

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４ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ ５

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８ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ １０

One thought I couldn’t shake off while listening to CONTRAST was how the whole thing kind of felt like an audition to see who gets to be bane’s go-to producer (lol). And to that end, I really do think A.G.O and Shin Sakiura brought out the best in her here. CONTRAST (the song) is a bop and a half, and Signal is an absolute vibe. If this actually were tryouts, I wouldn’t mind seeing either of them continue working with bane moving forward. That being said, if this EP proved anything, aside from reaffirming that bane is a great singer, it’s that she’s versatile, and that she can deliver with different producers. With that in mind, I wouldn’t be mad at all to see her collaborate with others in the space (I think the boy maeshima soshi would be a really good fit, personally.)

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What are your guys’ thoughts on bane’s CONTRAST? Lemme know in the comments!

Likewise, let us know too which are you favorite releases from 2025 so far! We’d love to know 😉

Before I let you guys go, don’t forget to check out Al’s thoughts on Harusaruhi’s RULE THE WORLD over at the Omunibasu Substack if you haven’t yet already! It’s a banger, trust.

Happy Listening!