How are we here already?

How are we already at the final Monthly Recommendation Roundup of 2025?! Must be the winter solstice or something, I dunno. At any rate, welcome! If you’re wondering why this is the last Roundup of the year despite there still being a whole December left, I’ll explain that in just a bit. However, if this happens to be your first time here and you’re now double confused (lol) hearing all this without really knowing what to expect from this post, please give the following a quick read before proceeding any further:

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

As a gentle reminder, this is the final Roundup post of the year, since next month we’ll be holding the annual Roundup Awards in its place! More on that later. For now though, let’s wrap up November!

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Dancing in my bad life feat. CLAN QUEEN
by muque
You guys know there was no way in hell I wasn’t talking about this collab

Now, muque and CLAN QUEEN performing a song together isn’t too surprising when you think about it. They’ve shared the stage and gone on tour with each other multiple times in the past, not to mention the members are just genuinely good friends. In that sense, you could say this collab has been a long time coming. Still, I can’t help but find it a little amusing that two bands I’ve been talking about here on the Roundup for close to two years now are finally on a track together. It honestly feels like the most “Roundup-core” development imaginable, and I absolutely love that it happened. Naturally, I also love the result. It’s a true meeting of styles: muque’s melodic toplines colliding head-on with CLAN QUEEN’s grand, explosive sound. There’s so much to appreciate here, especially on the vocal front; with muque’s Asakura showing she can absolutely hold her own on a harder track, while CLAN QUEEN’s yowa proving she can also harmonize and deliver and exquisite backing vocals that tie everything together. A collab that feels both inevitable and special in a perfect celebration of everything I’ve come to love about both bands.

東京ゴッドストリートボーイズ/tokyo god street boys
by OddRe:
lol What did I say

If you recall from last month’s Roundup, I talked about the possibility that OddRe: might try to end the year strong with an EP release at best, and sure enough, as if on cue, the band went ahead and did exactly that with THE GOLDEN PROTOTYPE., which dropped roughly a week ago. Of course, the usual “concern” with debut EPs is that they tend to be made up mostly of previously released singles, and while that is largely the case here, what I really appreciated was how the EP originals ended up being standout songs in their own right. Chief among them is Tokyo God Street Boys, without a doubt the best track on the EP. Honestly, I’d even go so far as to say it’s the band’s best song yet. Vocalist AirA shows off her full dynamic range here, more than she already has up to this point, and the track really benefits from how expressive she allows herself to be. My favorite part, though, is OddRe:’s use of a false chorus at around the 02:46 mark. It’s such a subtle songwriting technique, but when used well, as it is here, it can make a surprisingly big impact. Super glad this ended up being the track that got the MV treatment.

kawaita shoujo
by 破壊的価値創造 (hakai-teki kachi souzou)
Never gonna get tired of that sound

We’re closing in on two years since the official launch of the (ironically titled) Last Flight, which debuted back in February of last year. Yet, similar to what I said when I featured Hakai-teki kachi souzou on the Roundup, I still don’t fully know what to make of this project by ko shinonome and Sumi Aika of Blooming Bungei fame. At first, I assumed it was some sort of alt-idol venture, especially after seeing vocalist soan promoting their songs on social media. But the more I followed the project, the more it started to feel like something else entirely: a singer-songwriter project spearheaded by ko shinonome featuring soan, rather than a musical endeavor led by soan herself. It’s not too different from how Blooming Bungei operates: a band-like framework facilitated by vocalist haru and other support staff, rather than a full-fledged “band” with haru as the frontwoman. The key distinction is simply that both exist within the creative ecosystem of ko shinonome and Sumi Aika. Because of that, I’ve started viewing Hakai-teki as a natural extension, or even a direct successor, to all the things I loved about Blooming Bungei: that dense, harmonically discordant wall of sound that ko shinonome crafts so beautifully.

ロストシー/lost sea
by スクールガールズエンド (school girls end)
On the subject of never being tired of a particular sound

Whenever I see School Girls End pop up, whether it’s from Spotify recommending one of their songs or from spotting a new release on my usual streaming haunts, I always think, “Oh, I should include them in the Roundup, it’s been a while.” I convince myself I’ve talked about them a good handful of times already… only to be reminded that I’ve featured them exactly once, and only last year. What’s funny is that I’m always surprised by that fact too. If I had to guess why, it’s because their music feels that familiar to me. There’s something inherently nostalgic about School Girls End’s sound, as you’ll hear in Lost Sea, not because they have some overt retro styling, but because their music feels like it’s channeling a bygone era of alternative rock, with its sweeping, emotive guitar melodies paired with Asayake Yuuna’s transparent vocals. It actually reminds me of the conversation Al and I had in his review of Kuni’s Kids Return for the J-Music Exchange/Rate (check it out if you haven’t yet!). There’s a similar sense of looking back, not stylistically, but spiritually, and tapping into a kind of emotional alternative rock sensibility that feels rarer these days. School Girls End capture that wonderfully, and Lost Sea is a great example of it.

HSL
by CLW
This PV went from zero to a hundred real quick

Continuing where I left off, another reason I feel nostalgic for that late-90s to early-2000s alternative rock sound is because Japanese-style alternative has continued to evolve so much in how it’s expressed. You can really hear that in CLW’s more modern take on the style with their latest single HSL. The approach here is noticeably faster, much more layered, and built on the kind of intricate guitar melodies that have become the norm in today’s indie scene. In spite of that, though, CLW still retain that vintage alt-rock vibe thanks to the gritty tone and grainy distortion woven through the track. Interestingly enough, their earlier work leaned more toward what I would consider a classic alternative rock sound, and it’s only with this newest single that they’re starting to veer into something a bit more of the times. The band is still relatively young, so it’s entirely possible they’re experimenting and seeing what sticks. Whether this is the direction they’ll ultimately settle into remains to be seen, but for now, I think it’s a path worth pursuing. And honestly, I can’t wait to see where they take it from here.

Juvenile
by moonless dawn
Truly an amazing year for dreamgaze

I’m sure a lot of you are tired of hearing me say this at this point (lol), but now that we’re in the waning weeks of 2025, I still can’t stress enough just how amazing this year has been, and continues to be, for shoegaze and dream pop. Even this late in the year, we’re still getting absolute bangers from both established acts and newcomers alike. Tokyo-based five-piece moonless dawn fall squarely into that latter group. The band just released their first full album earlier this month, in a release we actually featured in this month’s J-Music Advance Party (check out the November issue if you haven’t yet!). And despite being relatively new to the scene, they’ve already shown a ton of promise, displaying a remarkably clear sense of identity in both their sound and their artistic direction. As you’ll hear in Juvenile here, moonless dawn lean into a bright yet melancholic tone that feels perfectly aligned with how they describe their own style: “music to accompany you on a moonless dawn.” It’s evocative, atmospheric, and surprisingly assured for such a young band, as another standout addition to what has truly been an extraordinary year for the genre.

海辺にいこう/umibe ni ikou
by 穂ノ佳 (honoka)
I advise you guys to be on the lookout

Though just a little longer in the tooth compared to moonless dawn, whom we just heard from, I’d still consider Honoka part of that same crop of newer bands and artists rising through the scene. More than that, she’s someone who has seemingly gotten better and better with each release, and if anything, I think she and her band are really starting to make waves as an act to look out for. Personally, I feel like Honoka is right on the verge of a breakout moment, one that feels like it’s coming sooner rather than later. Listening to Umibe ni ikou, I couldn’t shake the feeling that she should already be more popular than she currently is, especially given how radio-friendly her alternative pop-rock style is. Despite having a relatively extensive run of singles, Honoka has yet to release a full album. And honestly? I have zero trouble imagining that eventual release turning heads. It feels like one of those “when, not if” situations. The earliest I could see it happening is sometime early next year, but I also wouldn’t rule out the possibility of her closing out this year strong either. So yeah, definitely keep your eyes peeled.

ノスタルジア/nostalgia
by 花酔い (hanayoi)
Takes me back

As the title of Hanayoi’s latest release suggests, nostalgia might very well be the running theme of this month’s featured songs. Of course, nostalgia in music can take on many forms, depending on how that feeling is evoked for the listener. Sometimes it’s as simple as hearing a song you loved years ago; other times it comes from a track intentionally leaning into retro styling to conjure imagery from another era. But there are also moments when the nostalgia hits on a much more personal level, and that’s exactly the case for me with this song. Yes, there’s some retro theming at play in the MV, with its rustic atmosphere and the scenes it depicts, but what really got me was the sound itself. It ends up echoing a lot of the bands that were early favorites of mine, specifically Split end and Regal Lily, who, funnily enough, were among the very first groups I ever featured here on the blog. Whether or not Hanayoi actually draw inspiration from them is something only the band can answer, but honestly, it doesn’t even matter. The fact that their music reminds me of those early favorites makes me appreciate Hanayoi that much more.

円/en
by ひとひら (hitohira)
Yes, those are butts

It’s honestly so hard to single out just one song from Hitohira’s latest album En to feature here on the Roundup, simply because the vast majority of the tracks sound so much better within the context of the album, at least for me personally. It’s one of those records where everything feels intentional: the sequencing, the pacing, the emotional throughlines. It’s an album best experienced front to back, letting each track bleed into the next. That being said, I’d be remiss not to talk about something from it, given how much I’ve been listening to the album since its release. So, fittingly enough, I’ve chosen to highlight the title track, En. It’s the one song I feel works well enough on its own without losing that sense of completeness you get from the full album. More importantly, En encapsulates so much of what defines Hitohira’s musicality across the record; a blend of math-y and Midwestern emo-inspired guitar melodies, stitched together with extended instrumental passages that completely engulf you in the density of their sound. If you liked what you heard here, definitely go check out their new album!

心ひとつ/kokoro hitotsu
by えんどあ。 (endoa.)
There’s something here

The amount of times I’ve said that this year, surely one of them has to end up being right eventually, yeah? (lol) But do know I’m at least serious every time I say it. It always comes from a place of genuine intrigue, whether it’s about how a band or artist chooses to present themselves, or what kind of sound they’re bringing to the table. In Endoa.’s case, it’s actually a bit of both. I first stumbled across the project on X through their teaser videos for what would become their debut single, Kokoro hitotsu, clipping out the main hook; a short but ridiculously catchy guitar lick paired with an equally ear-catching vocal line. Sonically, it immediately reminded me of Quw, with that blend of synth melodies and light, airy vocals. Visually though, Endoa. gave me a different impression entirely. Their presentation has shades of Blooming Bungei, not in terms of shared imagery, but in how they promote their work. There’s this very auteur-like quality to everything: the visual mood, the artsy teasers, the careful curation of every detail. It feels deliberate, intentional, and deeply considered, and that alone makes the project all the more intriguing to me.

MUST LISTEN:
“Tokyo God Street Boys” by OddRe: and “En” by Hitohira
OddRe: have been swinging for the fences pulling out all the stops since the jump, but in my opinion Tokyo God Street Boys is their first definitive blowout track. You never get to really appreciate vocalist AirA’s singing because quite frankly there’s just a lot of things going on whenever you listen to their songs. Not to say that that’s a bad thing than it is just a stylistic preference, but because the track is a bit more linearly focused (barring the amazing false chorus that they pull off) we get to really hear AirA’s vocal gymnastics. I’m also picking out Hitohira’s En here with the caveat that you guys also go and listen to the album in its entirety. Granted, I might just be in a honeymoon phase with it, but right now at least I honestly do think it’s one of the more anticipated releases of this year that actually ended up delivering on multiple fronts. If anything else, I think it’s one of the year’s better albums (if not one of its best) so do definitely give it a spin when you can.

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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!

The new Roundup EP for November 2025 is now live! Check out what other songs I’ve been listening to these past couple of weeks, beyond the ones we just talked about here.

What are your guys’ thoughts on this month’s Roundup? Let me know down in the comments which of the featured songs you liked the most! And while you’re at it, feel free to toss in some of your own recommendations as well! I’m always curious to see what you’ve all been listening to!

After a minor scheduling hiccup requiring a change in event dates, the J-Music Advance Party still pulled through this month! We actually went over a couple of albums by bands that ended up being featured in this very Roundup; specifically moonless dawn’s self-titled debut and Hitohira’s En, which I’ve already told you twice now to go listen to (LOL). If you missed the November Party, don’t fret; you can still check it out, along with all past Parties, to see which albums I talked about that might’ve slipped past your radar. And make sure you’re subscribed to the newsletter if you haven’t yet so you always get your invite. Our final Party of the year is booked for December 7, 2025. See you there!

Speaking of things pulling through, the J-Music Exchange/Rate had your back this month too, delivering a brand-new pair of album reviews right to your doorstep. I got to pick the theme for November and, since we’re closing in on the end of 2025, I figured now was as good a time as any to talk about sleeper albums of 2025, those releases we think deserved way more attention than they got. My sleeper album of the year is none other than Kids Return by Kuni (you can check out Al’s review of it over on the Omunibasu Substack!). Meanwhile, Al chose Nan no Hi by Kansai-based Mama Rag as his sleeper pick for 2025. You can catch my review of that one right here if you haven’t yet!

If “sleeper album of 2025” sounded familiar to you, you might remember it as one of the awards I give out during the annual Roundup Awards, which, believe it or not, are coming out in just a month’s time! As some of you already know, the Roundup Awards serve as my year-ender post celebrating the past year of Japanese music, where I hand out a bunch of fun awards to the bands and artists who’ve been featured throughout the monthly Roundups (here’s last year’s Roundup Awards post for reference). If you haven’t been around for one of these before, it’s always a fun time, and I hope you can join us. It takes the place of the usual Roundup for December, so we’ll be holding it right at the end of the month. Hope to see you there!

One final plug before I let you guys go. A couple of months ago, I talked about how I started a playlist I’m calling 和式オルタナ (Japanese-style alternative). It updates every Friday and features songs that I personally feel fit that mold of having “intricate guitar work at the core of the arrangement, but vocal melodies that are just as important,” as once described by singer-songwriter Kitani Tatsuya. The playlist has picked up quite a few more followers since then, so if that sounds like your kind of thing too, definitely consider adding it to your rotation! The weekly playlist is available on both Spotify and Apple Music, and there’s also a separate archive playlist that collects every song that’s ever been featured if you’re curious about the full history (also on Spotify and AM).

That’s gonna do it for the final Monthly Recommendation Roundup of 2025! Thank you for tagging along with me through what’s been an incredible eleven-plus months of amazing Japanese music. I hope to see you all one last time this year at the Roundup Awards!

Till then, Happy Listening!