Summer has officially arrived! ☀️

…Though judging by when this Roundup is going up, perhaps I got a little too caught up enjoying it myself 😅 At any rate… Hello, hello! Welcome back to another edition of the Monthly Recommendation Roundup! Whether you’ve been following along for years now or this just so happens to be your first time stumbling across the series, it’s always a pleasure having you here.

Now, if you’re already a Roundup regular, you know the drill and are more than welcome to skip ahead to the music. If, however, this is your first time finding your way here, please allow me just a moment to explain what exactly it is we do around these parts.

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

Yes, life did indeed get the better of me this time around, hence this month’s Roundup finding its way into your feeds a little later than usual. I did want to mention it though, if only so as not to raise any unnecessary concern. Everything’s a-okay over here, and this really just has more to do with schedules being the way they are sometimes.

With that being said, We’re here now though, and I’ve got a whole month’s worth of Japanese music I’ve been itching to share with you guys. So, without further ado;

Let’s get to it!

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友達がいました/tomodachi ga imashita
by Trooper Salute
Open up the year books

First up is a band we’ve talked about quite a fair bit here on the blog; Trooper Salute, who are arriving fresh off the release of what is, in my opinion, a definite Album of the Year contender with their debut full-length, Tomodachi ga imashita. And what better way to represent that album than with its title track? If you’ve been following my writings over the past year or so, you’ve probably noticed me bringing up the idea of retro-theming fairly often. It’s become something of a fascination of mine, especially seeing more and more bands reinterpret sounds and aesthetics from decades past in ways that still feel contemporary. That said, I don’t think many bands approach the idea quite like Trooper Salute. What separates them, at least in my eyes, is that they don’t simply evoke nostalgia through a deliberately dated sound. That is, instead of making you reminisce because the song itself sounds like it came from another era, Tomodachi ga imashita encourages you to reminisce and look back on your own experiences. The melodies, the pacing, and the way the arrangement gradually unfolds all seem to draw those feelings out from the listener, allowing your own memories to fill in the spaces. That’s something I’ve found Trooper Salute to be remarkably good at ever since I first came across them. Another thing I’ve really come to appreciate about the band is their understanding of song structure. When before I mentioned how I think muque are probably the best band around when it comes to making the absolute most out of a song that’s under three minutes. Trooper Salute, on the other hand, might be my favorite band when it comes to longer compositions.

sparkler
by tiny yawn
I would 100% attend a live in the middle of a forest

tiny yawn make their way back to the Roundup in relatively quick fashion, having just appeared here last month when we celebrated the release of the band’s wonderful new EP into the blue; a record that I’ve only grown fonder of the more times I’ve found myself coming back to it. In a rather fortuitous turn of events, the band decided to give the EP’s opening track, sparkler, the PV treatment, giving me the perfect excuse to talk about another song from the release. Not that I needed much convincing (lol). In all seriousness though, this really is one of my favorite tracks on the EP. If you’ve spent any time listening to tiny yawn’s music over the years, you’ll probably notice almost immediately that sparkler carries a noticeably harsher tone than what we’re generally accustomed to hearing from them. The guitars in particular have a gruffer edge to them, adding a welcome sense of weight to the arrangement without sacrificing the band’s melodic sensibilities. That contrast ends up becoming one of the song’s greatest strengths. Against those rougher guitars sits Takahashi Megumi’s wonderfully clear and resonant singing, which somehow manages to sound both delicate and steadfast at the same time. I also can’t help but mention the PV itself. There’s something so fitting about seeing the band performing in the middle of a forest while singing about the inevitability of time. It creates this beautiful image where the music feels almost inseparable from the landscape around it, as though the songs themselves have simply become another part of nature.

YoungGirlsNeverApart
by CRAZY BLUES
Album debut later this year perhaps?

Another band making a relatively quick return to the Roundup is Kyoto-based three-piece CRAZY BLUES; who seem to be steadily building momentum for something bigger, with YoungGirlsNeverApart arriving just a little over a month after their previous single. When we last talked about the band, I mentioned how they seemed to have settled into a particular musical direction. Rather than leaning as heavily into the shoegaze and dream pop influences that first caught my attention a couple of years ago, CRAZY BLUES have gradually embraced a more melodic brand of alternative rock; one that reminds me quite a bit of Hitsujibungaku. Sure enough, YoungGirlsNeverApart sees the band continue to double down on that approach. And honestly, I can’t stress enough how much I think it’s the right move. Part of me always feels like I’m doing CRAZY BLUES a slight disservice whenever I bring up Hitsujibungaku in the same breath. After all, they’re very much their own band with their own strengths. At the same time though, I don’t think it’s unfair to acknowledge that Hitsujibungaku have carved out a lane within Japanese alternative rock that very few bands are realistically in a position to follow. CRAZY BLUES, in my opinion, are one of those few. Listening to these back-to-back singles, it really does feel like the band are building toward something. Whether that’s simply a new chapter for CRAZY BLUES or the beginning of a larger rollout remains to be seen, but I can’t help but feel like all this momentum is leading toward a debut full-length sometime later this year.

omoutabi
by ん・フェニ (“N-FENI”)
Truly a one of one artist

The last time we featured N-FENI on the Roundup, it was for BRING YOU BACK TO LIGHT, the closing track of her most recent album tiered skirt. At the time, I found myself wondering whether that song was meant to signify the end of a particular chapter in her musical journey; perhaps even her gradual departure from the shoegaze and dream pop direction that has so thoroughly defined her work over the past couple of years. If I’m being completely honest, I was actually relieved after hearing omoutabi to find that doesn’t seem to be entirely the case. At least for the moment, this current N-FENI is here to stay. I say that because I genuinely love what she’s been able to carve out for herself within this space. Ever since she embraced this dreamier, guitar-driven style, it has almost felt as though this was the kind of music she was always meant to make. Her adopted singing style fits these hazy arrangements so naturally that it’s difficult now to imagine her music sounding any other way. One thing I noticed though almost immediately with omoutabi is that the presentation feels considerably more grounded than before. It’s an interesting development when viewed alongside comments she’s made in interviews over the years. N-FENI has spoken before about not wanting to be pigeonholed into being perceived solely as a “cute” artist. Whether this is the “moving on” that I thought I was hearing at the end of tiered skirt remains to be seen. If it is, perhaps it was never about moving away from shoegaze and dream pop at all. Maybe it was simply about becoming more comfortable in being herself. Either way, I’m very curious to see where N-FENI takes things from here.

ワンナイト・ドライブ/one night drive
by セブンス・ベガ (“7thVega”)
We are so back

Back in what feels like quite a while since we last saw them here on the Roundup is four-piece all-girl rock band 7thVega; a band that those of you who’ve been following the blog for some time might remember I was incredibly high on last year. In fact, heading into the release of their debut album PRINCESS, I even went so far as to call them my dark horse pick for Album of the Year. Part of what made that run so exciting was seeing the band experiment with a bit of retro-theming. It ultimately resulted in one of my favorite songs of theirs to date, Tamago to Gyunyuu to Record, and for a while there it almost felt like they were building toward a fully realized concept. I honestly thought we’d eventually get a themed EP out of it. Instead, they made the jump straight to a full-length album. I’ve mentioned before that I felt PRINCESS might have arrived just a little too early. Not because the songs themselves weren’t good, but because it felt like the band were still in the process of discovering exactly who they wanted to be. Looking back now though, I also think that experience proved invaluable. There’s something to be said for having to put together a complete album; it forces a band to understand their own strengths in a way that a handful of singles simply can’t. Listening to One Night Drive, I can’t help but feel like we’re hearing the results of that process. The biggest thing that jumped out at me was just how confident the band sound. Everything feels more assured than before, from the performances to the songwriting itself. Interestingly enough, they’ve also gone back to the retro well once more. This time, however, instead of drawing from the same influences as before, One Night Drive leans more toward city pop. It’s a really intriguing direction for the band, and one that I’m curious to see them continue exploring.

Whale Net
by Beachside talks
I can almost smell the sea breeze

Beachside Talks are one of those bands that make me double, sometimes even triple check whether or not I’ve already featured them here on the Roundup. Every time I come across a new release from them, I find myself thinking, “Surely I’ve already talked about these guys before.” Alas, this is once again one of those occasions where I was surprised to find out that I actually hadn’t. Needless to say, this feature is long overdue on my part. I’ve been a fan of the band’s music for a fair amount of time now, ever since I happened upon them while browsing Bandcamp one afternoon. They’ve quietly remained one of those groups that I continue to revisit every so often, always finding something new to appreciate with each listen. Now, it should come as no surprise to anyone who’s been reading these Roundups for a while that I’m rather partial toward shoegaze and dream pop. What I particularly enjoy about Beachside Talks though, and Whale Net in particular, is just how bright their interpretation of those styles is. Rather than leaning heavily into dense walls of guitars or melancholy atmospheres, the band approaches dream pop from a much lighter angle. The guitars shimmer beautifully throughout the track, giving the whole song an airy quality that reminded me quite a bit of what I loved about roi bob’s sink from last year. Maybe it’s also because of the blue-and-white artwork associated with the single, but every time I listen to Whale Net, I can’t help but feel like I’m in a Pocari Sweat commercial (XD). There’s just something incredibly refreshing about it.

別れ/wakare
by hiragi no
Just makes me stare out the window and think about life

One band that completely snuck up on me this month and very quickly became one of my favorite discoveries of the year so far is Kyoto-based five-piece alternative rock band hiragi no. I think what ultimately brought them onto my radar was the release of their debut EP kudaru last month, which somehow found its way onto my feed. Thankfully, it did, because I would’ve otherwise completely missed out on a band whose music I’ve all but fallen for over these past few weeks. If you’ve got even the slightest idea of my musical preferences, and if you’ve been following the Roundup for any length of time, I reckon you probably do by now, then you’ll already know why Wakare immediately caught my attention. The instrumentation here is exactly my kind of thing. The guitars lean heavily into that melodic shoegaze tradition, creating that nice dense wall of sound throughout. If I had to compare them to another band, I’d probably point toward one of my favorite discoveries from last year in Saiwai na Heya. There’s a similar sense of beautiful melancholy running through both bands’ music; a feeling I remember describing back then that perfectly applies here as well. Another thing I really enjoy is the contrast between the vocals and the instrumentation. The relatively thin, understated vocal delivery sits beautifully against the density of the guitars, giving the song an almost weightless quality despite how massive everything underneath sounds. It’s the kind of juxtaposition that I always find myself gravitating toward, and hiragi no pull it off wonderfully. Needless to say, I’m very excited to hear more from this band.

low tide
by マリースメック (marie smeck)
I be humming this at work sometimes low key

All of you who’ve been keeping tabs on my conscious effort to include a little more male vocal representation here on the Roundup will be pleased with this next feature; what is arguably another long overdue introduction in Tokyo three-piece Marie Smeck. I say “arguably” because, while this is indeed the band’s first proper appearance on the Roundup, they’ve actually been something of a regular on the Japanese-style alternative playlist that I update every week. Ever since I first came across them around June of last year, they’ve quietly remained one of those bands I find myself coming back to every so often. Just a little over a year later, the band have since released their first full-length album, Echo Report, back in January. At the time, the song that immediately stood out to me was low tide, which quickly became my personal favorite from the record thanks to its wonderfully memorable hook and melody. Lo and behold, that very song ended up getting the PV treatment. I’m choosing to believe that means I was perfectly in tune with what the band also thought was the album’s strongest track (lol). Jokes aside, I really do love this song. One thing I found particularly interesting about Marie Smeck is that, for the longest time, I was convinced they were a twin-vocal band. A lot of that comes down to the uncredited female backing vocals that occasionally appear throughout their songs. I was admittedly a little disappointed to learn that this isn’t actually a permanent part of the band’s lineup, because the vocal interplay works so incredibly well. low tide especially benefits from that dynamic, with the layered vocals giving the chorus an added sense of warmth. Couple that with the band’s melodic alternative rock sensibilities, and you’ve got a track that’s been stuck in my rotation for months now. Definitely one to keep an eye on moving forward.

歌工場/uta koujou
by どうめき (doumeki)
That grain, man

This next feature is going to serve more as an invitation than anything else; an invitation to go check out more of Tokyo-based alternative rock four-piece doumeki’s music after you’re done here. I say that because, as much as I would’ve loved to spend more time talking about Uta koujou, the song itself doesn’t exactly give me a whole lot of time to work with. Clocking in at under two minutes, it’s over almost as quickly as it begins. Of course, I’m also of the mind that the band’s music will probably do most of the convincing for me. If this happens to be your first encounter with doumeki, and you’re someone who enjoys distorted, math-y guitars paired with transparent vocals, then I have a feeling this band is going to be right up your alley. I’ve actually been meaning to feature them on the Roundup for quite some time now, ever since I stumbled upon their debut album Decathexis around June of last year. For one reason or another, the opportunity just never quite presented itself until now, so when Uta koujou received a PV alongside the release of their new EP Rooftop, I figured this was as good a time as any, even if I did have my reservations about spotlighting a song that leaves you wanting more almost by design. For what it’s worth though, that brevity makes a lot more sense once you realize Uta koujou serves as the opening track to the EP. If you enjoyed what you heard here, don’t stop at this one song. You’ve now got two excellent releases waiting for you between Decathexis and Rooftop, and I have a feeling you’ll come away just as big a fan of doumeki as I did. If not, maybe even a bigger one.

Half-assed Miserable
by deardoll
We’ve all felt like that at least one point in out lives

If you’ve made it all the way to the end of each Roundup over the years, you’ll probably know that this last feature slot has taken on a bit of a life of its own. Ever since the series first started, this was usually where I’d spotlight an up-and-coming indie band in the hopes of introducing them to at least a couple of new listeners. As time went on though, my own listening habits naturally gravitated further and further toward the indie scene, to the point where nowadays the entire back half of the Roundup is more or less made up of independent bands and artists. As such, this spot isn’t quite as unique as it once was. Even so, I still like saving it for bands that, despite already beginning to cultivate a small cult following of their own, whether locally or internationally, I nevertheless feel deserve to be heard by far more people than they currently are. That brings us to deardoll. The band describe themselves as a 90s-inspired alternative rock outfit whose music aims to “heal childhood wounds.” Now, if you’ve been following these Roundups for any length of time, you’ll probably know that a description like that is almost tailor-made for my tastes (lol). As you’ll hear in Half-assed Miserable, there’s an incredible amount of promise in what deardoll are doing. I really liked what they were going for with the track on the whole, with the layering of different sounds in service of the song’s core melody which has this nice sort of radio nostalgia vibe to it. I also enjoyed the gang vocals they do during the post-chorus. Needless to say, I’ll be keeping an eye out on what deardoll do next.

MUST LISTEN:
“Tomodachi ga imashita” by Trooper Salute and “Wakare” by hiragi no
I’ve already gone on at length about just how much I adore Tomodachi ga imashita throughout this feature, but I’ll happily say it one more time; I genuinely believe it’s one of the strongest albums we’ve gotten all year. The title track encapsulates everything that makes Trooper Salute such a special band to me. Rather than relying on nostalgia as a stylistic exercise, they somehow manage to evoke it through pure emotion, allowing the songs to become deeply personal in a way that’s difficult to put into words. If you’ve somehow made it this far without checking out the album, please do yourself a favor and change that. On the other side of things is one of my favorite discoveries of the year so far in hiragi no. Again, if you’ve been following these Roundups for any appreciable amount of time, you’ll probably already know that “Wakare” is exactly the kind of song that’s going to win me over. Those huge melodic guitars, the beautiful melancholy woven throughout the arrangement, and the contrast between the dense instrumentation and the delicate vocals all come together to create the sort of soundscape that I never seem to tire of. kudaru is a phenomenal debut EP, and if this is where the band are starting from, I’m incredibly excited to see where they go next. Needless to say, I highly recommend checking out both releases once you’re done here. I have a feeling they’ll be among the albums I’m still talking about by the time the year comes to a close.

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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!

Don’t forget that the Roundup Extended Playlist for June 2026 is now live! If you’re still in the mood for more Japanese music after making your way through this month’s features, be sure to give it a look. As always, these Extended Playlists (or EPs) highlight additional songs I enjoyed throughout the month that unfortunately didn’t quite make the final cut for the main article. There’s plenty more music waiting for you over there!

What did you guys think of this month’s Roundup? Let me know down in the comments! Likewise, if you’ve got any recommendations of your own from this past month, I’d love to hear them as well. Half the fun of doing these Roundups is finding out what everyone else has been listening to, so don’t be shy about sharing your latest discoveries!

Making a return this past month was the J-Music Advance Party over on my Substack. If you’ve been reading along here, then you’ll already know just how much I enjoyed the releases we featured this time around. Both JYOCHO’s incredible new album Wasuretakunai koto and Trooper Salute’s phenomenal debut full-length more than lived up to the anticipation, with the latter even finding its way into this month’s Roundup as our opening feature. If you’re unfamiliar with the Advance Party, it’s my monthly newsletter where I spotlight upcoming Japanese album releases that I’m personally most excited about before they come out. Think of it as the pre-game show to the Roundup. It’s completely free to subscribe, and you’ll also gain access to every past issue should you ever find yourself in the mood to discover even more music. The next Party is scheduled for July 5, 2026. Hope to see you there!

The J-Music Exchange/Rate also returned this month with another pair of tandem album reviews right at your table. Seeing as we’ve officially reached the halfway point of the year, Al and I thought it’d be fun to look back on some of our favorite releases from the first six months of 2026, similar to what we did last year as well. Over at the Omunibasu Substack, Al took a look at the uber-promising wanbed’s EP 153, while I went and check out one of Al’s favorites in SanSan by 333. If either of those albums piqued your interest, be sure to check out our reviews!

And with that, I think that about does it for this month’s Roundup! Thank you all so, so much for stopping by whenever you do. Whether you’ve been following the series since the beginning or only just recently found your way here, it genuinely means a lot that you’d spend a little bit of your time talking about and discovering Japanese music alongside me. As always, I hope the Roundup, and everything else we do here on the blog, is just as fun for you to read as it is for me to write and put together 😌

Happy Listening!