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.
Caeca — “Cinderella Step”
Caeca add some future-bass carbonation to their breezy jazz-pop in new track “akinanode,” and the single’s B-side, “Cinderella Step,” sees the idol group head even deeper into the electronica zone. Shedding their soft-pop flourishes almost altogether in favor of garage-house slink, the dance beat sets an urban stage for a rather adult story from a group usually embodying youthful innocence. “Cinderella Step” marks a surprising shift for the music of Caeca, and it’s a welcome one.
HACHI — “To Be Alive”
Drama delivered with a skittering edge. Virtual singer HACHI shows off her ballad skills on “To Be Alive,” yet matches the usual sonic markings of the style (violins and piano) with fidgety percussion and electronic flourishes to give it a glow fitting for an avatar-using artist. Yet at its core this is a chance for her to show off her singing range, with the second-half soar showing she's up for this type of song in any form. Listen above.
Inu — “Mirror”
There’s always that mesmerizing blast of EDM fireworks that springs forth from Inu’s otherwise soft-spoken laptop-pop. For the artist’s new album, Reflect, “Mirror” is the one where its delicate arrangements build up to a buzzing breakdown. Glitch-y electro-pop nostalgic for early livetune or Perfume circa 2008 inspires Inu to reminisce of better times, and when they can finally accept their past wasn’t as bad as they remembered it to be, here comes the big, fuzzy drop to accompany the warm feeling.
sidenerds — “Lame as Hell”
“Need It Gone.” “Lame as Hell.” “Stfu.” Based on the song titles in their new wasurerarenai, sorega anata EP — or unforgettable, that’s what you are — care to guess how sidenerds are doing trying to get over someone? In the EP’s centerpiece, the indie-rock band attempt to convince themselves out of thinking that the relationship was even any good. “Right from the beginning, it was full of things I couldn’t agree on,” goes the chorus, and the band play along as if they’re hoping that a loud enough guitar riff would wipe this person away from their memory forever.
Trooper Salute — “Yasai Seikatsu”
There's a very playful energy running through Nagoya band Trooper Salute's “Yasai Seikatsu,” a preview of the group's forthcoming EP out later this week. They lay down a jaunty energy flipping before Showa-appropriate melodies and keyboard solos, while the lyrics offer a whirlwind of references running from Nostradamus to The Catcher In The Rye. This combination makes for something almost surreal without losing its pop edge, highlighting this emerging group's strengths. Listen above.
Uilou — “It's Not You”
Agoraphobic dance-pop duo Uilous lean into longing sprinkled with a touch of misery on “It's Not You.” The pair usually move swiftly, but here they let bleary-eyed synth wooze envelop a hoppier beat, over which vocalist june-chan admonishes herself for both not being good enough for someone else and for longing in the first place (“it's not you / it's all my fault” c'mon can't be that rough!). Not upbeat, but thanks to the music around it, this pain at least can turn into something absorbing. Listen above.
