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 from the past week 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.
cephalo — “Vapor Road”
If “Vapor Road” from the new Gloaming Point EP suggested to you a shimmery experience from Cephalo, you’re going to have to reset expectations. “What’s even the point of this everyday struggle,” vocalist fuki frankly sings as she describes an exhausting lifestyle, and then the band drops a woolly guitar riff that matches the emotional heft. All this stress only makes it that much more cathartic when fuki musters the strength to wail out the final chorus.
DE DE MOUSE and Namitape — “Supa Ni Tojikome Rareta Bokura”
Not to start the new week off on a heavy existential question, but if you had to be trapped anywhere for the rest of your life, where would it be? For electronic artists DE DE MOUSE and Namitape, the answer is “the supermarket.” That's at least the concept central to this collab, which finds the pair using the synthesized voice of Vocaloid Kaai Yuki to celebrate a life lived in a shopping center. To drive that home, they use the sort of MIDI horns you'd expect to hear in the produce section to add a sense of setting to an otherwise throwback dance-pop stroll. Listen above.
YeYan, Ivy & Saggypants Shimba ft. MIKADO — “Hitasurr”
Though they talk nothing but work, Ivy and Saggypants Shimba don’t seem to break a sweat in “Hitasurr” from the way they both tiptoe across the beat in a slurry flow reminiscent of Playboi Carti’s old “and I Milly Rock” hook. The song’s Atlanta-rap vibe was one of many found in rap collective YeYan’s album from earlier this year. Since the release, the two maybe sensed that this neo-swag production could use a louder voice that suits the marching-band horns, and so for this new remix, they recruited MIKADO, who stomps over the track, shouting one big boast after another.
Massage Attack — “Freeta No Koi”
A pleasant enough bit of lovelorn pop made compelling by the vocals, which add a rough edge to an otherwise sweet tune. Massage Attack work best when letting the singing get a little loose around the edges, and here the moments where the voice starts going up a bit and almost cracking add a twist that compliments the melody nicely. Listen above.
nerdneko ft. Hatsune Miku — “Stargazing Youth”
There only being a month left in the year doesn’t stop Siren for Charlotte from putting out quality releases with the “angelic post-shoegaze” label putting out two great Mikugazer records in the past week. Nerdneko’s Stargazing Youth is one of them, and the title track kicks off the album like a mission statement, or maybe it’s more appropriate to say it’s trying very hard to be. “Going through the darkness, just wading through it to find the light,” the warbling vocals of Hatsune Miku sighs of turning pain into music. As the jagged emo guitars play on, she sounds less resolute than resigned about her predicament, just toughing out the harsh waves.
Top Secret Man — “Dopamine Chuudoku, Ebisu De Shisu”
Turns out you can go on like 20 journeys in just over two minutes. That's the vibe Saitama outfit Top Secret Man drive across on its latest shapeshifting offering, a Strong-Zero-powered dash mutating from dance to metal to like Pizza Of Death pop-punk. As an act of pure dexterity, it's impressive enough, but what makes it an actual trip is how Top Secret Man uses all these twists and turns to create something unified. As the title implies, this is dopamine addiction, jettisoning listeners to all kinds of unexpected places. Listen above.
