Come one, come all—and welcome! It’s Awards Day!
That’s right, welcome one and all to the annual Recommendation Roundup Awards! I’m SO happy to see you all here for those who could make it out, it truly means a lot. I hope you’re all as excited for the night’s upcoming festivities as I am. We have a lot in store for you guys tonight so by all means please make yourselves comfortable, maybe grab a snack and a drink before you settle in 😉
If this happens to be your first time attending one of these, the Roundup Awards are just a little something special I do at the end of each year, taking the place of what would have been the usual Monthly Recommendation Roundup for December. It’s my way of celebrating all the incredible Japanese music I’ve had the pleasure of sharing with you here on the blog these past twelve months. Think of it as my own personal awards night, where I spotlight the songs, bands, and artists that really stood out to me this year.
Of course, this is all in good fun, and no slight or disrespect is meant toward the bands and artists who don’t get a mention tonight. These picks are purely my own, so if you’ve got favorites that don’t show up here, I’d love to hear about them in the comments. 🙂
This year, we’re working with our usual pool of 110 songs featured across the Monthly Roundups, and those form the foundation for tonight’s awards.
We’ve got a total of fifteen (15) awards to hand out tonight, spread evenly across three (3) major categories, namely: song awards, album awards, and artist awards.
Just a few quick reminders: only songs that appeared in the Roundups were eligible to be a recipient of an award in the song awards category. Similarly, only artists who were featured in the Roundups in the past year were the ones eligible for the album and artist awards.
If you joined us for the 2024 Roundup Awards you might recall that we handed out this shiny Golden Maya trophy to our lovely award winners (in spirit, of course).
This award was made and designed by my good friend @JellyBeam_Ji, who has been the one in charge of most of the artwork that you’ll find here on the blog; mainly the banner images that you see me using for the Monthly Recommendation Roundup. If you’ve got any creative projects in mind, I highly recommend checking out and commissioning their work. You can find them here!
Before we begin, I want to take a brief moment and give my thanks to each and every one of you who’ve been following me and the Monthly Recommendation Roundup for as long as you have. I’m truly blessed to be able share this journey of musical discovery with you all. My sincerest hope as always is that it’s been just as fun (if not more so) for you as it’s been for me. If you didn’t know it already, let me just say, you guys are the best companions I could ever ask for. Thank you for being you!
And with that, we dim the lights; the Roundup Awards starts… now!
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＊＊＊BEST PV＊＊＊
いちごジュースで待ち合わせ/ichigo juice de machiawase [October 2025]
by 浦小雪 (ura koyuki)
To kick things off tonight, we have my award for Best PV of 2025, selected from the videos featured throughout this year’s Monthly Recommendation Roundups. Traditionally, this award has tended to go to beautifully animated or high-concept videos with especially striking artistic direction; like last year’s winner WOOT! by RYUTist with its single-take execution, or kioku by ao the year before that with is stunning cinematography. This time around, though, I wanted to do something a little different. Rather than rewarding scale or spectacle, I’m giving this year’s award to a comparatively simpler PV: Ichigo juice de machiawase by Ura Koyuki. I touched on this when I first featured the song in the Roundup, but there’s something deeply (and maybe painfully) relatable about what Ura Koyuki is singing about here. Reconnecting with someone from your past, realizing just how much has changed, and yet still managing to find some common ground despite it all. The sentiment is depicted subtly yet clearly in the song’s PV as well, making for a short, heartwarming, and genuinely adorable video that perfectly complements the song.
Runner-Up – “Neko Dash” by KAIRI YAGI ELECTRIC-PLAY [January 2025]
If anything else, Yagi Kairi having to sing on a treadmill certainly needs recognition..
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＊＊＊BEST COLLAB＊＊＊
Dancing in my bad life [November 2025]
by muque feat. CLAN QUEEN
If you’ve attended the Recommendation Roundup Awards in previous years, you might notice that this is a brand-new award in the song category. This year, it’s taking the place of Best Lyric. That’s not to say there hasn’t been plenty of great songwriting and lyricism in this year’s crop of releases (far from it really) but giving out that particular award has always felt a little strange coming from me as a non-native speaker, working with only a sliver of fluency and a limited grasp of nuance. That said, I’m not closing the door on it forever; maybe Best Lyric makes a comeback in a future Awards post. In its place this year, though, we have Best Collab of 2025. And no, I didn’t invent this award just to give it to muque for featuring CLAN QUEEN on Dancing in my bad life. Nope. Purely and entirely a coincidence. This is my awards show, after all, so I make the rul—ahem. All jokes aside, the spirit of this award is about celebrating the most exciting coming together of two bands and/or artists this year, and especially within the context of the Roundup, not a whole lot managed to top this one. Both bands have been ones I’ve been following for some time now, and seeing them come out with a song together (more importantly one that sounds as hype as this) is nothing short of epic.
Runner-Up – “Anti Piracy Screen” by 嚩ᴴᴬᴷᵁ, e5, utumiyqcom [January 2025]
I really liked the rap cipher like feel of this one.
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＊＊＊BEST INSTRUMENTATION＊＊＊
Unbound [September 2025]
by chilldspot
This next award, Best Instrumentation, is one where my understanding of what it represents has really evolved over the years since I first started doing the Recommendation Roundup Awards. Early on, this category more or less defaulted to songs that showcased overt technical complexity: intricate arrangements, unusual time signatures, and the kind of compositional gymnastics you’d most often find in math rock. And because of that, it’s no surprise that many of the early recipients came from that space. Over time, though, as my appreciation for instrumental work has deepened, so too has my view of what great instrumentation actually means. I think there’s often a false equivalence made between complexity and quality, where the more technically dense a song is, the better it must be from a compositional standpoint. But that’s not always true. Sometimes a song can just be really tight and solid instrumentally in all facets, making for near perfect execution of one’s sound. That’s precisely why this year’s Best Instrumentation award goes to chilldspot for Unbound. Already a two-time Roundup Award winner for Most Improved Band, chilldspot deliver an absolutely masterful showcase of their trademark groove here.
Runner-Up – “Samapake” by Nikoん [June 2025]
Some of the best guitar work in the indie scene you’ll ever come across.
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＊＊＊BEST VOCALS＊＊＊
36℃ [June 2025]
by 鈴木美智子ズ (suzuki mikiko zu)
In a similar vein, I can say a lot of the same things about this next award for Best Vocals, as it’s another category where the definition of what it represents has evolved, and, frankly, remains a bit contentious. It often comes down to whether we’re valuing a specific vocal performance versus the more innate, almost intangible quality of a singer’s voice being showcased in full. To put it another way, it’s the difference between someone delivering a stunning, emotionally charged ballad and someone whose voice is so uniquely compelling that anything they sing immediately draws you in. I’ve never been able to fully commit to one camp over the other. My feelings tend to shift depending on my mood; sometimes I’m not in the headspace for a ballad, just as there are times I’m not necessarily craving a song built purely around vocal tone. It’s genuinely a toss-up for me, and that tension is actually reflected quite clearly in this year’s winner and runner-up. In a parallel universe I might’ve swung the other way on this, but for this world line here tonight I landed on Suzuki Mikiko Zu and their song 36℃. This isn’t a track that’s arranged to push the vocals front and center in the way a traditional ballad might. Instead, it works precisely because it’s sung by someone like Suzuki Mikiko; an artist with one of the most captivating vocal tones you’ll hear.
Runner-Up – “Tokyo God Street Boys” by OddRe: [November 2025]
If I did ties, this would be a tie yeah. Such a good performance by AirA here.
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＊＊＊MOST PLAYED SONG OF 2025＊＊＊
Ghost [June 2025]
by muque
I think this is a good point to remind everyone that the songs eligible to win awards tonight all come from a very concentrated pool, namely, tracks that were featured in the Monthly Recommendation Roundups throughout the year. Because of that, this pool isn’t always fully representative of my entire listening experience for the past year, which can make handing out certain awards, especially ones with a more objective basis, feel a little awkward at times. More often than not, my actual “most played” song of the year (at least going by Spotify’s metrics) ends up being either a track I never included in a Roundup, or one by a band I haven’t talked about on the blog yet. Sometimes it’s both. In those cases, as some of you may already know, I usually just work my way down the list until I hit a song that did make it into one of the Roundups. Thankfully, that wasn’t necessary this year, as according to my Spotify Wrapped for 2025, my Most Played Song of 2025 is Ghost by muque! It’s also worth noting that muque continue to quietly rewrite the Roundup Awards record books. Last year, they broke the record for most features in a single year of Roundups. And now, they’ve become the first band in the history of the Roundup Awards to win Most Played Song not only twice, but in back-to-back years no less.
Runner-Up – “Anti Piracy Screen” by 嚩ᴴᴬᴷᵁ, e5, utumiyqcom [January 2025]
This is also the first time a song won runner-up for two different awards, lol
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＊＊＊FAVORITE SINGLE OF 2025＊＊＊
不治/huji
by Trooper Salute
We now move on to the album awards category, starting with my pick for Favorite Single of 2025. Like a few of the awards we’ve already handed out tonight, this one comes with some specific ground rules. First, and most importantly, the song must have been released as a single within the past year. The second rule is that if the song later ends up appearing unchanged on an EP or full album, it’s automatically disqualified. Which is funny, because I almost had to do exactly that with this year’s winner: Huji by Trooper Salute. If you’re subscribed to the J-Music Advance Party, you might remember me talking about Trooper Salute’s second EP release earlier this month. Seeing Huji pop up on the tracklist didn’t surprise me, but what did catch me off guard was that it turned out to be a different rendition of the song, one that leaned more heavily into synths and a more atmospheric presentation. While I did end up liking that version as well, it just didn’t hit me the same way as the original single. There’s something about that first release; its warmth, its organic feel; that really elevates the listening experience. I touched on this when I first featured the song in the Roundup, but it still holds true: Huji has this almost magical quality to it, the way it slowly melts you into a daze
Runner-Up – “i’m so sorry” by N-FENI
She’s so good.
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＊＊＊FAVORITE EP/MINI-ALBUM OF 2025＊＊＊
RULE THE WORLD
by 春猿火 (harusaruhi)
Back in July, my good friend Al from Omunibasu and I sat down to talk about our favorite releases from the first half of 2025 as part of our J-Music Exchange/Rate album review series. For my pick, I chose the mini album RULE THE WORLD by Harusaruhi. I remember telling Al at the time that I really wanted the chance to talk about it, because despite how much I loved it upon release, I worried it might end up getting buried under the sheer volume of releases that tend to pile up as the year goes on, especially since it dropped way back in February. What actually happened, though, was the complete opposite. Not only was I still listening to the EP regularly when we recorded that Exchange/Rate in July, but I’ve continued to return to it even now, toward the very end of the year. And honestly, if that kind of staying power isn’t indicative of a great EP, I don’t know what is (lol). Jokes aside, I genuinely believe this is Harusaruhi’s best work to date. I loved the direction she took with this release, and every single track hits, front to back, no skips. It might’ve been a quieter year for me in terms of talking about KAMITSUBAKI STUDIO and their roster, but I’m really glad I got to spotlight this one here. And with how things are going, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if we end up talking about a full Harusaruhi album in the next awards cycle.
Runner-Up – “Senseless” by Sweet Rain
This EP got a stranglehold on me for a good two weeks.
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＊＊＊FAVORITE ALBUM OF 2025＊＊＊
kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete
by kurayamisaka
Speaking of the J-Music Exchange/Rate, if you caught this month’s installment, you’ll already know where this is headed, since Al and I both revealed our personal albums of the year there. So for those of you who tuned in, this one probably won’t come as a surprise. And if you didn’t (you can still catch Al’s review over on the Omunibasu Substack!), I’m very happy to now formally announce the winner of my award for Favorite Album of 2025: kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete by kurayamisaka. If I’m being completely honest, and Al alludes to this in his review as well, I wasn’t expecting to be talking about a kurayamisaka album here with you all tonight. If you’ve been following the narrative threads of the Roundups throughout the year, you might’ve reasonably assumed it would be Brandy Senki’s self-titled debut, or maybe even 7thVega’s first full album, given how much I talked about both of those releases in the lead-up to their drops. Compare that to kurayamisaka, whom I barely mentioned this year. In fact, I only checked out the album on a bit of a whim, initially just to include it in that month’s J-Music Advance Party. And yet, from the moment I pressed play, I was completely blown away. What I found was a record that resonated with me on a level I wasn’t prepared for. Every listen brings this immense emotional release, one that I’ve struggled to find elsewhere this year (with maybe one lone exception). For that reason alone, kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete stands as my Favorite Album of 2025.
Runner-Up – “Kids Return” by Kuni
This was a toss up for sure.
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＊＊＊SLEEPER RELEASE OF 2025＊＊＊
Kids Return
國 (kuni)
The award for Sleeper Release of the Year is one of our newer additions, having only been introduced last year. It’s meant to spotlight the album that, in my view, didn’t receive the attention it truly deserved—either at the time of release or in the months that followed. And honestly, I didn’t have to look very far this year, because few releases stood out to me quite like Kids Return by Kuni. Japanese alternative rock had an incredible year in 2025 (which I know you’re probably sick of hearing me say by now, given how often it comes up; Roundups, Exchange/Rate, the Advance Party… basically everywhere, lol). Still, I genuinely believe that the two strongest releases in the genre this year were kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete, which we just talked about, and Kids Return. And that’s saying a lot, considering how many absolute stunners came out over the past twelve months. Despite that, Kids Return hasn’t received the same level of recognition as kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete (at least not yet) And because of that, it feels like the perfect fit for this award. For me, there truly isn’t a better candidate. As a quick aside, Al and I also tackled sleeper releases of 2025 in a recent J-Music Exchange/Rate album review, so if you want to hear more of our thoughts on Kids Return, be sure to check out Al’s review over on the Omunibasu Substack if you haven’t yet already!
Runner-Up – “Sugar Mellow” by Ura Koyuki
Such an underrated talent
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＊＊＊FAVORITE BLIND PICKUP OF 2025＊＊＊
すこやかな寝台/sukoyaka na shindai
by さいわいな部屋 (saiwai na heya)
I said as much in last year’s Roundup Awards, but the award for Favorite Blind Pickup of the Year remains one of the ones I look forward to giving out the most. A big part of that is the process itself; sitting down and revisiting those moments where I took a chance on an album by a band or artist I hadn’t properly listened to before (something I do fairly often, all things considered), and trying to re-experience what it felt like hearing their music for the very first time. Some of those moments naturally stand out more than others, and none came close this year to when I first encountered Sukoyaka na Shindai by Saiwai na heya. I initially came across the album purely by chance while looking up releases to potentially feature in the J-Music Advance Party (on X, of all places, lol). Not knowing much about the band at the time, I ultimately decided not to include it in that month’s lineup, but I did make a mental note to check it out once it dropped, if only out of curiosity. When the album finally came out, though, I was completely taken aback. What I found were beautiful guitar melodies steeped in nostalgia; feelings that, in hindsight, aren’t all that far removed from the two standout alternative rock albums we’ve already talked about tonight. Looking back now, it really feels like Sukoyaka na Shindai quietly kicked off my year of Japanese alternative rock listening, and in the process, Saiwai na heya made a fan out of me almost instantly.
Runner-Up – “Abara” by Suzuki Mikiko Zu
I genuinely regret not having listened to them sooner than when I did.
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＊＊＊BEST PROSPECT OF 2025＊＊＊
Kucci
I always find the Best Prospect of the Year award a funny one to give out, because it’s one of the few categories where I intentionally step outside the usual confines of the Roundup and tap a bit more into mainstream consciousness; actually looking at numbers, momentum, and trajectory rather than just personal attachment. While I’ve definitely built a reputation for focusing on the indie side of things, I still keep a close eye on artists who are brand-new to the scene and clearly have the tools to break through, whether that’s in their sound, presentation, or sheer presence. Historically, this award has been rooted in projection, or what I think a band or artist can reasonably accomplish based on what they’ve shown over the past year. And when you’ve got someone who lands their anison debut in the same year as their official artist debut, signed straight to a major label no less, those projections pretty much shoot through the roof on their own. That’s exactly the case with Kucci. Kucci came out of the gates swinging in 2025, and has easily been one of—if not the—fastest-rising stars I’ve seen in recent memory. Whether Sony simply lucked out by discovering a diamond in the rough, or they’re carefully building her up from the ground floor, is honestly beside the point. What is clear is this: Kucci didn’t quietly arrive this year, she made an entrance.
Runner-Up – えんどあ。(endoa)
There’s something there. I can feel it.
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＊＊＊MOST IMPROVED BAND/ARTIST OF 2025＊＊＊
セブンス・べガ (“7thVega”)
Even though I’m constantly listening to a wide range of bands and artists on a daily basis, there are always a handful I end up following more closely than others. Usually, it’s because I’m drawn to the direction they’re taking with their music, and I find myself curious to see how they follow through on that vision with each new release. By doing so, you also become much more aware of the incremental strides they’re making. Because of that, I can say without a shred of hesitation that 7thVega have been far and away one of the most impressive cases of growth I’ve seen this year. Ever since I first came across them last year, they’ve been something of a dark horse contender for me, precisely because each new song showed clear signs of improvement. It was incredibly satisfying to see them live up to that promise (and then some) in the lead-up to their first full album debut this year. Overall, I thought they did a great job with the album. Sure, there were one or two choices I might’ve handled differently if the goal was to leave an even stronger first impression (they definitely should’ve spotlighted this album original instead), but those are minor quibbles in the grand scheme of things. What matters most is that 7thVega have really started to come into their own, and for the first time, it feels like they truly know who they are as a band. Because of that sustained, tangible growth, 7thVega earn this year’s Most Improved Band award. And honestly? I’ve never been more excited to hear what they do next.
Runner-Up – CRAZY BLUES
The EP that they released this year was quite the head turner.
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＊＊＊MOST PROLIFIC BAND/ARTIST OF 2025＊＊＊
muque
I’ve mentioned this before, but the award for Most Prolific Band/Artist of the Year is always the one that ends up surprising me the most. Mostly because I don’t actively keep track (on paper or otherwise) of how many times I feature a band or artist in the Roundups over the course of a year. I usually feel like I have a decent guess just by knowing who I’ve written about a lot… and yet, without fail, I still get it wrong every single time (lol). Case in point: I genuinely didn’t realize this until I sat down and did the tally, but muque were featured five (5) separate times in the Roundups throughout 2025. I wasn’t expecting it to be them, honestly, it felt like I’d been paying more attention to other bands, especially in the latter half of the year. But looking back, I think that perception mostly came from muque’s release schedule slowing down a bit. In reality, every time they did put something new out, I was right there talking about it (XD). As a result, not only does muque’s record of seven (7) total Roundup appearances remain intact, they’ve now also become (much like with the Most Played Song award earlier) the first band in Roundup Awards history to win Most Prolific Band/Artist twice, and in back-to-back years no less. You could chalk it up to how much I still love the band but regardless, it’s an impressive feat
Runner-Up – Brandy Senki (4)
Who I thought was gonna win it this year ngl, lol
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＊＊＊FAVORITE DISCOVERY OF 2025＊＊＊
國 (kuni)
always make it a point to mention that the award for Favorite Discovery of the Year is, without question, my personal favorite out of all the awards I give out. To me, it encapsulates the very essence of the Recommendation Roundup and perfectly represents what’s at the heart of why I do this series in the first place: the journey of music discovery. Relatively speaking, Kuni aren’t a brand-new band. If anything, I sometimes feel a small pang of regret that I didn’t get into them sooner, but perhaps that feeling itself is proof of just how meaningful discovering them this year has been for me. Very few bands I discovered for the first time in 2025 resonated with me the way Kuni did, with their ’90s/early-2000s alternative rock sound turning into a genuinely remarkable experience of introspection, one that felt less like discovery and more like a kind of homecoming or a reunion so to speak. As a bit of a silver lining to discovering them when I did, this year couldn’t have been better timed. Not only did they release their first full album (the record that truly solidified my appreciation for their music) but they also already had a substantial back catalog waiting for me to dive into, which I very happily did. Looking at it that way, it really was a great year to become a Kuni fan. I suppose, as they say, better late than never;and honestly, for me, it doesn’t get much better than this.
Runner-Up – さいわいな部屋/saiwai na heya
VERY fortunate to have come across them when I did.
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＊＊＊BAND/ARTIST TO WATCH IN 2026＊＊＊
Trooper Salute
Just like that, we’ve reached our final award of the night; one that no longer looks back on this past, incredible year of Japanese music, but instead turns its gaze toward what lies ahead. Similar to how I assess Best Prospect, the award for Band/Artist to Watch Next Year asks me to be a bit more objective than usual. I try to factor in momentum: the traction a band or artist has been gaining both locally and overseas (to the best of my observation), how active they’ve been with releases, and how well they seem positioned heading into the new year. That said, there’s always an element of gut feeling involved too; an instinct for who feels primed to make the biggest splash based on how they’ve set themselves up so far. And taking all of that into account, the final award of the night goes to Trooper Salute. The band recently dropped their second EP, a release that turned a lot of heads and, in my opinion, earned them a significant wave of new fans both in Japan and overseas. Their retro-leaning rock sound, paired with a strong aesthetic, feels especially well-suited to catching on algorithmically and potentially going viral. Even setting that aside, though, there’s a real sense that Trooper Salute are just about to pop off. I have a strong feeling that 2026 is going to be an even bigger year for them, possibly capped off with a full album debut. Fingers crossed we get it sooner rather than later.
Runner-Up – OddRe:
If their release schedule didn’t seem so erratic I would’ve said gave it to them.
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Every year Al and I put out a thread on X to showcase our favorite tracks from each album that we reviewed as part of the J-Music Exchange/Rate album reviews. Al just put his up this past week which you can check out over here. Changing things up a bit on my end, I decided I’d put up my list here to just have all of my yearly wrap ups all in one place, so here you’ll find a playlist of just that plus some short snippets of my thoughts about each of them down below. Massive thanks to Al for once again accompanying me through another solid year of album reviews. Can you believe we’ve been at this for five consecutive years? Here’s to you my dude; literally could not have done this without ya! Of course, big shoutout to all of you who tuned in to the series every month as well!
JAN ► -PROPORTION-Ⅲ
by Furihata Ai (from Super moon)
Retro-theming at its absolute finest here. Furi bless.
FEB ► インキャ・オブ・ザ・デッド/inkya of the dead
by Zsasz (from ∄)
This song is just waaay too fun not to be my favorite.
MAR ► ナイブ/naive
by ASOBOiSM (from OOTD)
I really enjoyed ASOBOiSM’s flow here the most out of all the tracks on OOTD.
APR ► Ever
by ADOY(from VIVID)
The hook here is actually very addictive.
JUN ► アンビバレント/ambivalent
by GANG PARADE (from more than kawaii)
I always pumped hearing this, like, I can just hear the wota chants, LOL
JUL ► CONTRAST
by bane (from CONTRAST)
If this song played on the club, catch me on the dance floor trust.
AUG ► Let it die～You shall die～
by a crow is white (from Back to the Future)
I still genuinely think if this song would go viral if it came out today.
SEP ► Two of us
by azusa (from Azusa)
This was low key a hidden gem of a vibe from this album.
OCT ► アンブレイラ/umbrella
by botakura. (from S’more)
If you told me this was a chilldspot song I would’ve believed you (JK)
NOV ► 同じ顔/onajigao
by Mama Rag (from Nan no Hi)
Such a pretty sway this song has.
DEC ► 夢見ろサイキック/yumemiru psychic
by AQ (from S.E.A)
I can listen to this song all day; love everything about it.
＜——２０２５ ＲＯＵＮＤＥＤ ＵＰ——＞
And with that, our awards night has officially come to an end. A round of applause to tonight’s award winners! To cap it all off is this here 2025 Rounded Up playlist which features all my “Must Listen” songs from the Monthly Recommendation Roundups this year. Just as a reminder: at the end of each Roundup, I pick out two songs that I think you should definitely check out if you didn’t get a chance to listen to everything; one from the first half of returning bands/artists and one from the latter half of new Roundup bands/artists featured on the Roundup. Much like the Rounded Up playlist in previous, this one pretty much summarizes the awards show we just had, with all of our award winners showing up on there at least at one point or another. Something to take home with you 😊
I know I’ve already said it at the start, but I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you who made it out here tonight, especially if you’re still here, reading this postscript. I truly and sincerely appreciate you taking the time.
Now I’d love to hear from you: what did you think of this year’s award winners? Drop your thoughts in the comments! AND if YOU were handing out these awards, which bands and/or artists would you choose, and why? I’m always curious to see how your picks line up (or don’t!) with mine.
Just a few quick things I want to address before I let you guys go. The Monthly Recommendation Roundup will be back for its eighth year in 2025! If you’ve been around since the very beginning, you are truly wonderful, and I’ll once again be in your care as we journey into another year of discoveries.
On that note, the J-Music Exchange/Rate will be back next year as well, so rest assured, we’ll be here for all your Japanese music album review needs! Al and I wrapped up another year of reviews with our annual end-of-year special, where we each talked about our Favorite Album of 2025. You just saw me crown kurayamisaka’s kurayamisaka yori ai wo komete as my pick, which, as I mentioned, might’ve been a surprise pick for some. Head over to the Omunibasu Substack to see what Al thought of it! And of course, I also got the chance to talk about Al’s favorite release of the year, S.E.A by AQ; you can check our my thought’s on it here if you haven’t yet already!
Last, but certainly not the least, the J-Music Advance Party is also making a return in 2026! The publication has continued to enjoy a steady growth of attendees this past year, and it’s all thanks to you guys coming though every time we open up our doors 😎 In all seriousness though, the Substack been such a fun little side project and I’m glad that quite a few of you guys haven been enjoying it thus far. To those unaware, I host a separate publication on Substack where I talk about the month’s upcoming Japanese music album releases that I’m looking forward to the most. If that sounds like your type of thing, feel free to subscribe! It’s 100% free, and signing up gets you access to all previous issues as well. The first Party of the new year is scheduled for January 4, 2026. Hope to see you there!
Okaaay… NOW I’m officially done, LOL
Wishing everyone a Happy New Year, and I can’t wait to see you all again in 2026!
For one final time this year…
Happy Listening!