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.
Illreme — "Orbit"
The long-running left-field rapper Illreme — who also releases dance music under his birth name Jun Kamoda — was quiet for quite some time, but in 2025 roared back to the scene. He released the woozy album Bittersweetness in February and now follows it up with "Orbit." It's similarly aiming for something more sonically trippy, with the beat spinning around like a mobile while Kamoda himself zips between it. Listen above.
It's US!!!! — "3 + 1 Da"
Youthful group It's US!!!! have been on a roll since debuting, capturing nervy youthful energy over songs that mutate over the course of their runtimes. Latest offering "3 + 1 Da" starts as a bouncy rap song about spending a little too much on a beverage, but gradually ramps up the energy as every member of the project gets involved. It's collective creativity and fun on full display, helping make this outfit one to watch. Listen above.
Kinopo — "Big Problem"
Kinopo’s new track checks off all of the group’s signatures: big riffs, big hooks and big problems. The idols pour their all as they shout the hearty chorus, embracing the go-for-broke energy set by the mighty punk guitars. Despite the urgency put forth in the music, though, the song lyrically stews in the moments when summer has unfortunately gone by without them accomplishing things off their to-do list: “Big problem, after the dream / we can’t go back,” they sing, wishing they could feel the thrill once more. Kinopo at least has this anthem as a consolation prize.
Lovely Summer-chan — "Kimi To Kurasetemo"
What takes up even larger space on Lovely Summer-chan’s charming new song than its giant, jangling Britrock riffs is her big, fat crush, which gets the singer-songwriter to wonder aloud, “if this thing I’m thinking is love / was really just a boring summer fireworks, what am I going to do?” She sings fuzzy pieces like this from her overthinking mind in an equally sticky melody. For all the frustrations Lovely Summer-chan lays out, “Kimi To Kurasetemo” turns out endearingly sweet from its sugary pop-rock to her heart-eyed sentiments.
mzsrz — "Koubou"
In their arrangement for “Koubou,” Vocaloid producer Yugica hardly offers any moment of rest for us and Kirari Ohara, the vocalist behind the solo project mzsrz. The glitched-out electro-pop is dizzying in its speedy twists and turns, with sliced-and-diced chords of jazz pianos spilling across bursts of future-bass beat works that seem to be folding in on itself. “I threw my messy feelings of confusion, doubt and loneliness in a mad rush,” Ohara shared about her vocal takes on this single, and the restless pop of “mzsrz” captures this overwhelming stream of emotions to a T.
PAS TASTA — "THUNDA"
Electronic all-star outfit PAS TASTA stand out in the current J-pop landscape for the mish-mash of ideas they bring forth. There is a central sound running through the project, however, and it's rock. This adolescent-powered sound hovered around the edges of its debut album (see that guitar solo in "Turtle Thief") and appeared more prominent on last year's GRAND POP. "THUNDA" makes this foundation clear, opening up with distorted guitars before breaking into a rock jog. The wonky touches PAS TASTA brings to everything they create come through — electronic squiggles around the edges of the guitar melody, sound effects at points adding a comic-strip-energy to it all — but when they hit that fists-in-the-air hook, it's clear what's driving them. Listen above.
