Despite the ease of access that streaming has brought to the distribution of music, the volume that's released can make it a daunting task to find unique new stuff every week. In this recurring weekly feature we put together a short list of new songs that stand out amongst all the noise and deserve a spot in your rotation.

All songs featured in this recurring series can be found in our scrmbl selection 2025 playlist on Spotify or Apple Music.

2beef  —  "Helvetica standard"

2beef billed their gauzy rock as “nerdy shoegaze from the internet” on the Bandcamp page of last year’s Lucky. The band’s new Orbs, though, comes with a rather ambiguous yet evocative caption: “Will I ever find her… somewhere beyond this world, or maybe in a dream?” Like any good shoegaze, the EP is better understood when you feel the rush with the volume cranked high. And through a huge, reverb-soaked riff that suggests a vast sky than acid rain, opening track “Helvetica standard” captures the headspace of this enchanted mind.

CHIANZ — "MESSY"

Quartet CHIANZ is not too shy to let you know who its influences are. The group, featuring J-pop star eill, draws from The 1975, and latest number "MESSY" might be the project's best stab at capturing that band's sound while still offering its own perspective. Guided by a laid-back melody dappled by electronic touches, eill shows off her vocal abilities while commenting on a doomed relationship, with forays into light rap and Auto-tuned vocals. It has a pop heart, but features enough odd touches and raw feelings to be more than just catchy. Listen above.

DJ SCRATCH NICE ft. KID FRESINO & Senninsho  —  "Freed Up"

Maybe because the church piano sample reminds me of an old Scarface joint, but there’s a nostalgic feel behind DJ SCRATCH NICE’s boom-bap production on “Freed Up,” a single off his upcoming new album. Despite the laid-back swing, guest rappers KID FRESINO and Senninsho fire off restlessly as they reminisce, ponder on the moment and wonder about the future seemingly all at once. Both stay so busy jotting down every thought as they come, filling every available pocket on the open beat with their ruminative bars.

Hedigan's — "Hatch Meets June"

All the attention is on recently reunited Suchmos...but don't sleep on lead singer Kasai Yosuke's other project. Hedigan's started out while the band that helped him breakout was on hiatus, and has always sounded a bit crunchier in comparison to the city-adjacent smoothness of Suchmos. While the latter has returned to that sound fully on new EP Sunburst, Hedigan's got weird and made its best song to date. "Hatch Meets June" features boing sound effects, guitar squall and a vocal performance from Yosuke that shows a range of delivery he never shared in his other group. An oddball triumph of the highest order. Listen above. 

kinoue64 — "Kofuku No Baiyo"

Hiroshima artist kinoue64 came to internet prominence thanks to his mergers of shoegaze and Vocaloid, but latest single "Kofuku No Baiyo" shows he doesn't need singing-synthesizer software to create heart-tugging rock. He lays down a blanket of feedback, while adding some synth squiggles and percussive texture, before singing himself with slight distortion through it all. It's a different sonic palette than his Hatsune Miku-centric work, but one still delivering the ennui he does so well. Listen above.

Sundae May Club —  "Yurei Maboroshi"

If anyone’s doing a poll for the year’s most memorable opening lines in rock, allow me to cast a vote for Sundae May Club’s on “Yurei Maboroshi”: “At that kid’s funeral, let’s plan our next hang-out / I don’t want to think about anything else.” Leave it to the band to channel the weight of grief into exuberant rock that competes with any of the thrilling guitar-pop rides in the band’s latest album, It’s windy. Gloom inevitably hangs at the corners of “Yurei Maboroshi” — “since they’ve been gone, the night is a little quieter,” vocalist Koyuki Ura sighs — though they play their damn loudest so they can keep the spirits high.