You know what time it is (!!!)

That’s right, you guessed it. It’s time to talk about our Japanese music Album of the Year here on the J-Music Exchange/Rate! If you’ve been following this series for a while now, you probably saw this coming from a mile away, so this should come as no surprise. But if this happens to be your first time here and you’re not entirely sure what the context is for all of this, please give the following a quick read:

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 

As some of you already know, Al and I typically take turns deciding a monthly theme that dictates which albums we’ll be reviewing. However, as is tradition for the Exchange/Rate, when we reach the end of the year, we set that structure aside and instead focus on our Albums of the Year, pulled from our respective listening over the past twelve months. These aren’t necessarily the albums we think will land as the consensus favorites among Japanese music fans at large, but rather our personal picks; albums that resonated with us for one reason or another, and ones we hope to properly elucidate for you guys as to why they were our picks out of the dozens of amazing albums to have come this 2025.

With that out of the way, let me formally reveal this year’s picks. First up, my personal Japanese music album of the year is none other than kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete by the one and only kurayamisaka. You can check out what Al had to say about it over at the Omunibasu Substack!

Conversely, Al’s pick for Japanese music album of the year goes to S.E.A by Kyoto-based alt-idol group AQ.

And for the final time this year… let’s give it a spin!

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AQ is a Kyoto-based four-member idol group consisting of Ruka Inumaru, Gin Hanaakari, Roku Gogomori, and Mota Nakajima. The group’s music is written and produced by alternative rock duo INSHOW–HA’s surviving active member Miu alongside the former duo’s support band. They digitally released their 1st EP QUES in September 2024, and in October quickly followed it up by launching their live activities while simultaneously releasing their 2nd EP ANS. Their debut full album S.E.A was released on June 11, 2025.

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(＊Spotify link to the full album)

CDJapan Affiliate Link(s):
N/A

＜T ｒａｃｋｌｉｓｔ＞

０１・DEEP DIVER
０２・SKUMSCAMSCUM
０３・FANTAStiQUE
０４・可愛げのないわたし/kawaige no nai watashi
０５・KARUKUMAU
０６・ナハトムジーク/nahato magic
０７・夢見るサイキック/yumemiru psychic
０８・ダリラリラ/darirarira
０９・レディ？/ready?
１０・水のないプール/mizu no nai pool
１１・(One More) deep diver

Ａｌ：What I picked for my personal AOTY this year feels very unconventional, compared to previous occasions. This was not a release I knew about in advance and was looking forward to. This was not an artist I had an ounce of knowledge on. Their main music producer isn’t someone I’ve already followed for an extensive period of time and later became curious of this recent project they were now pursuing. Heck, this wasn’t even an album I found on my trusty Apple Music platform; rather, I came across a completely random person on Twitter a few months ago who claimed that this was the best idol release of the year so far. And me being the impressionable foreign wota I am, I was intrigued and the bait looked way too good to pass up…
…and boy oh boy, was it a real treat.

Despite me developing a genuine appreciation for alt idols these past few years, I still can’t really say they’re my ‘go-tos’ when it comes to this type of music. But amongst all the pop idol stuff I listened to in 2025, something about AQ and their full-length release from June just captivated me the most. Was it that mesmerizing guitar loop in the opener? The intense, punk-ish tone in “SKUMSCAMSCUM”? “FANTAStiQUE” with its repetition and gorgeous vocal layering towards the end? The ability to show off various sides to them like the familiar upbeat girls rock vibe heard in “Ready?”, or “Darirarira” with its more melancholic mood? Maybe even the neat sprinkling of sonar noises that added to the whole aquatic theme? Let’s just say the answer is all of that and much more, as AQ does a phenomenal job showcasing exactly what kind of idol group they are through this cohesive, diverse & well-organized rock album.

And while I hadn’t heard of INSHOW-HA before, even a few peeks at their music can easily tell you how much of an influence the person behind their music & longtime INSHOW-HA member, Miu, has on this unit and their songs. It’s almost as if the tasteful charms and sounds shown in the former duo’s discography is continuing to live on, and maybe evolve even further, through AQ’s clear talent and individual ways of expression, which I think is pretty neat. This album and my own discovery of it might have been odd, random, and surprising in many ways… but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that it ended up being some of the best music I heard all year. AQ truly is the real deal, and you know, sometimes you gotta just take a chance and plunge into the vast unknown, cause you never know what kind of treasures you’ll find out at sea.

＜Ｓｏｎｇｓ　ｏｆ　Ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔ＞

０１・DEEP DIVER、０２・SKUMSCAMSCUM
It’s something of a tradition at this point, but as some of you might already know (and at least come to expect as part of these reviews) I usually do a bit of preliminary research on the bands and artists whose albums get sent my way on the J-Music Exchange/Rate. A lot of that is admittedly so I can flesh out the artist profile that sits at the top of these posts (lol), but I also like using it as a way to better contextualize the album itself and gain a clearer understanding of the ideas and sounds coming together from the people behind it. I’ve found that whenever I dig (or, I guess, dive… get it… deep div-), deeper like this, I tend to walk away with a greater appreciation for the album than if I’d just listened without bothering.

I wouldn’t necessarily say that doing this kind of research is a prerequisite for getting the fullest experience out of an album, though. In some ways, doing so before even listening to a band or artist (or in this case, an idol group) can end up coloring your perception of the music. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Taking a step back, as I was doing my usual digging in preparation for this review of AQ’s S.E.A, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the group’s music is produced by none other than alternative rock band INSHOW-HA. That immediately caught my attention, as they’re a band I have quite a bit of personal history with, being one of the first few acts I came to know when I initially started listening to Japanese music, and also among the earliest bands I ever featured on the blog. Suffice it to say, I was genuinely excited at the prospect of experiencing INSHOW-HA’s music again after all these years… not that I wasn’t already looking forward to it, given how much of a sucker I am for alt-idol in general.

Which is why I find it a little unfortunate that I’m starting this review with a gripe; specifically with the first two tracks, DEEP DIVER and SKUMSCAMSCUM. This isn’t an issue with how they sound; on the contrary, I actually think the instrumentals on both are pretty tight. My issue lies more with their quirky arrangements, particularly in how each track seems to falsely end at one point, only to restart, before then cutting off rather abruptly without ever reaching what feels like a proper terminus. It took me a good while to wrap my head around why these songs are structured the way they are, and I’ll circle back to that later when I get into my overall thoughts on S.E.A. For now, though, I do want to be upfront in saying that I wasn’t particularly sold on what they were trying to implement here from purely an album-listening perspective.

０３・FANTAStiQUE
In my opinion, one of the best ways to approach S.E.A is to view it as two halves that come together to form a whole; a structure that’s conveniently mirrored by the album’s first and second halves. Particularly, In terms of song structure, arrangement, and overall composition, the first half feels noticeably more band-oriented. The instrumentals take center stage here, delivering a sound that feels very much in line with INSHOW-HA’s trademark style. The latter half, on the other hand, comes across as more idol-oriented by comparison, placing greater emphasis on the singing and performance aspect. It also feels lighter and more playful in tone, especially when contrasted with the darker, heavier atmosphere found in the album’s opening stretch.

If I had to single out one track that carries a truly quintessential INSHOW-HA kind of sound, it would be FANTAStiQUE. The heavy guitar riffs, electronic synth accents, and the beautifully layered vocals all come together to create an experience that immediately reminded me of tracks like VOLCANIC SURFER or Kirei. That said, this track does share a similar quirk with the album’s opening two songs, though here it’s far less jarring. Personally, I felt like the song could’ve comfortably ended around the 3:27 mark. Interestingly enough, when I went back and revisited INSHOW-HA’s earlier work, I noticed they’d employed this same kind of structural choice before, which led me to believe this was a very conscious decision rather than an accidental oddity.

０７・夢見るサイキック/yumemiru psychic、１０・水のないプール/mizunonai pool
Going back to what I mentioned earlier, I do think the latter half of the album comes across as more idol-oriented, or at the very least carries a stronger idol-music vibe in how it sounds. Whether that contrast was entirely intentional, or if there’s even a clearly defined line between the first and second halves at all, is honestly up for debate (and you guys can absolutely let me know what you think in the comments). That said, and this might come as a bit of a surprise to some of you given my general lean toward Japanese alternative rock, especially lately, with how deep in the sauce I’ve been since starting the Japanese-style Alternative playlist, I actually found myself enjoying this latter portion of the album more because of it.

That’s not to say I inherently prefer one approach over the other, but if I’m being honest, if I wanted to listen to alt rock, I’d just go listen to an alt rock band or artist outright. I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to seek out an alt-idol group backed by an alt rock band. If I specifically wanted to hear INSHOW-HA, for example, I could simply listen to INSHOW-HA, rather than something that sounds adjacent to them (otherwise, I’d just be treating it as an extension of their work rather than its own thing). For me, there has to be a reason to intentionally reach for an alt-idol group beyond who is producing their music, and more often than not, as obvious and on-the-nose as it sounds, that reason is the fact that they’re making idol music at the end of the day.

It’s also for that exact reason that I ended up loving just about everything Yumemiru Psychic has to offer. One of the biggest differences you’ll notice when comparing it to the tracks in the album’s first half is just how much more emphasis is placed on singing. The instrumental sections that might’ve otherwise taken center stage are deliberately pared back, allowing the vocal parts to stretch out and breathe. Line distributions are longer and feel more substantial, and the vocal ad-libs, used in place of sound effects, make it sound like the members are far more actively involved in shaping the song (the audible gasps replacing snare hits, in particular, are such a nice touch). The track itself is more subdued and simple overall, but it’s still instrumentally tight, just restrained enough to give the members’ voices the room they need to shine. The stretch from 2:40 to 3:30 especially stands out as one of my favorite moments on the entire album, and it’s only possible because the vocals are pushed to the forefront here. Mizunonai pool gets a passing mention here for largely the same sentiments.

１1・(One More) deep diver
That said, I do want to acknowledge that this is an incredibly tough balance to strike, especially given INSHOW-HA’s dense musicality. Lean too far into highlighting the idols’ singing, and you risk weakening the band’s musical identity in the process. Seen through that lens, S.E.A almost feels like an album in motion; an active attempt to consolidate its two halves and find a workable middle ground between band-forward intensity and idol-centric performance. Interestingly enough, this isn’t all that dissimilar from how I felt about another alt-idol release I reviewed earlier this year in There does not exist by Zsasz (check it out here!). In that review, I talked about Utsu-P grappling with a very similar conundrum of figuring out how to transpose his signature musical style into something that still works within the framework of idol music.

I’d like to think that, for AQ, that sweet spot is more or less what we hear on (One More) deep diver. This track feels like the moment where we genuinely get the best of both worlds, with each end of the group’s musical spectrum given the space to shine. The instrumentation is far more present here than it is on Yumemiru Psychic, but rather than overpowering the vocals, it’s matched by singing parts that are just as pronounced. In particular, the emphatic solo moments from Hanaakari Gin and Gogomoro Roku really stand out. Gin especially comes across as the group’s most commanding singer, or at the very least, the one who grabs my attention the most. This kind of vocal spotlighting was largely missing from the earlier tracks, and it’s something I’d love to see AQ continue to explore moving forward.

＜Ｗｈａｔ　Ｉ　ｔｈｉｎｋ　ｏｆ　Ｓ．Ｅ．Ａ ＞

I promised I would go back to it at the start now that we’ve entered my closing thoughts on the album as a whole, so do allow me now to tread back to what I said earlier about the first couple of tracks on S.E.A and why they sound the way that they do. I also mentioned that it did take me quite a while to understand it myself, and it wasn’t actually until I took a step back and started seeing the broader picture that things started to finally click for me. For this, we first have to look at the group’s name: AQ, a play on the Japanese word “eikyuu”, which means eternity. This is further accentuated by the group’s logo, which depicts the letters AQ, stylized in such a manner that they represent the symbol for infinity, which as we all know is that of a loop without a terminating point.

Upon realizing that is when I started to think that that’s what AQ and INSHOW-HA were ultimately trying to achieve with those first few tracks in that, they don’t really end because they’re meant to loop back into themselves. No, seriously, try it. You can replay them almost seamlessly, and once you do, it works. Taken as individual tracks, I actually don’t have an issue with that at all. If anything, I think it’s a pretty neat idea. The problem arises in the context of the album experience. When I’m listening straight through, those looping structures don’t mesh well for the same reasons I mentioned earlier when talking about the songs individually, and it ends up impacting the flow more than I’d like. It’s not that I expect tracks on an album to bleed seamlessly into one another, but having multiple songs designed to loop back on themselves (especially right at the very beginning) made getting through that opening stretch more distracting than immersive. I still remember my first time listening to the album and having to do a couple of double takes because I genuinely thought I’d accidentally left my playback on repeat.

It might sound like a nitpick to some, and honestly, considering that it’s really the only thing I’m docking the album for, it probably is. Despite the dichotomy within S.E.A that I laid out over the course of this review, the truth is that I enjoyed it a lot precisely because I’m a fan of both sides of what it’s doing. INSHOW-HA certainly haven’t lost a step in my eyes, and they’ve found themselves more than willing and capable conduits for their musicality in AQ. AQ, in turn, strike me as a genuinely thought-provoking group, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up catching the attention of Japanese alternative rock fans and alt-idol fans alike (myself very much included), if they haven’t already. Based on what they’ve shown they’re capable of here, there are a few different directions they could take moving forward, and I’m genuinely curious to see which path they choose. If I had to put my preference out there, though, I’d personally love to see them lean further into the more idol-forward approach they explored on Yumemiru Psychic and Mizunonai Pool.

＜Ｍｙ　Ｒａｔｉｎｇ＞


４.５ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ ５

＆

９ ｏｕｔ ｏｆ １０

I already mentioned my review of There does not exist by Zsasz, but as I was finalizing this draft, I couldn’t help but be reminded of another Exchange/Rate review as well back when I talked about CUE-SAI by BATTEN GIRLS. Going back and revisiting both of those pieces after finishing this one, I was honestly a little amused by just how consistent my takes ended up being across all three. In every case, I found myself favoring the more idol-forward side of things, even when the music itself was being shaped by clearly non-idol composers and producers (lol). I guess that’s just how I feel about alt-idol groups in general: at the end of the day, if I’m listening to an alt-idol group, I still want to hear the idol part shine through more than anything else. And if that’s what you’re looking for in the genre as well, then you’ll definitely find it here in AQ’s S.E.A.

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What are your guys’ thoughts on S.E.A by AQ? Let us know down in the comments!
And while you’re at it, feel free to share what your album of the year was as well. We’d love to hear your picks!

If you haven’t already, don’t forget to check out what Al thought of kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete by kurayamisaka over at the Omunibasu Substack!

And lastly, before I let you guys go, just a friendly reminder that I’ll be holding the annual Recommendation Roundup Awards in just a couple of days. It’s my year-end post celebrating what’s been an absolutely amazing year for Japanese music, framed as a fun little awards show of sorts. It’s all in good spirit, and I really hope you can make it out. We’re set to go live on December 30, 2025. See you there!

Happy Listening!