group_inou — YOU
Over the past year, duo group_inou have been doing shows with PAS TASTA and Peanuts-kun, a bill that’s both worth every yen to get in for but also a far more telling one in explaining recent Japanese music history. For over 20 years now, the pair have been creating often silly, always euphoric songs merging homegrown beats with energized rapping (though, as vocalist cp told me long ago, they do not see themselves as being anywhere as good as actual rappers…though that’s part of the charm). For me, they’ve always seemed like one of the 2010s most influential acts, with their genre-blending trickling down to Suiyoubi No Campanella and a variety of “hyperpop” acts. PAS TASTA, in particular, seem like a great stylistic comp, showing how group_inou’s eagerness to play in multiple styles and their love of goofing around carries on today.
Forget all of that connecting-lines type stuff, though. The real legacy group_inou deserve to be remembered for is the just-go-for-it attitude underlining every part of their career. That extends to how they operate — such as releasing latest album YOU to the world via Dropbox, Firestorage and Gigafile…the only places right now to get it.
group_inou@gal_official
ニューアルバム「YOU」です https://t.co/zSEfdP4h9g xfs.jp/gzlx4taw
88.gigafile.nu
GigaFile（ギガファイル）便
9:00 AM · Jul 31, 2026 · 219K Views
3 Replies · 516 Reposts · 1.85K Likes
I don’t even think you need to dwell on bigger structural issues such as bypassing subscription streaming or anything of the sorts. I subscribe to what artist seaketa writes about the duo, which is this is just them…doing something that sounds fun, and is kind of silly but the sort of thing that makes anyone extremely happy (Firestorage??? In 2026???). That’s always been the case with group_inou’s music, and so it continues on this short upload. Producer imai remains a pro at turning a limited sonic palette into an entire world, with the plinks of of opener “SHY” parts nervous and excited…and that’s before it dips into acid over which cp starts meowing like a cat (which also…kind of sounds like imai’s production? Hell of an imitation). That’s an energy all over YOU, with growls and shouts breaking up the trance of “SOON” or adding urgency via sing-speak on the title track.
There’s no major departures for the duo, and thank goodness for that — group_inou are one of Japan’s finest of the 21st century because of the attitude they’ve cultivated out of this bedroom electro, peppered with jokes and catharsis. The last song on YOU finds PAS TASTA offering up an aerobic rework of “HAPPENING,” a nifty way of connecting eras but of also showing how a new generation is also willing to take up the cause of just going for it. Get it here.
safmusic — Slide And Escape [Deluxe]
Hyperpop-ish artist safmusic isn’t afraid to puff out his chest — he named his last album MASTERPIECE — but melancholy sits at the center of everything he does. New album Slide And Escape digs into the downer depths lyrically, with breakups and lost connections coloring the mood here (“u married” turns to pop-punk to scowl at someone else getting hitched, while you might not even need to hear a single woozy note or declaration of “I’m fading before you” to pick up on the vibe of “slow&sad”). Yet despite clearly going through some relationship woes, safmusic remains chipper when it comes to playing around with a bunch of sonic ideas, from a greater emphasis on Warped-Tour-adjacent rock to dabbling in R&B strolls to experiments in manipulating his voice even further. He’s earned the right to stunt, even if he does so with a frown on his face. Listen above.
CRZKNY — donate.
A powerful earthquake struck Kumamoto Prefecture last week, resulting in over 30 deaths and tons of destruction across the Western Japan region that has left many without power or water as of time of writing. Hiroshima producer CRZKNY is helping raise funds to help those impacted by the natural disaster with the direct-to-the-point donate. A great cause, but you also get a lot in return from him…34 tracks that are all over the place, finding one of the country’s most prolific acts mutating R&B and Eurodance among others into new shapes (plus…I think songs from or from the same era as the now-offline Bayside Joke City, making this an archive of sorts). Get it here.
woopheadclrms — little mode
Definitely not “little.”
Aichi experimentalist woopheadclrms offers a handful of snack-sized electronic meditations leading up to what feels like an improvised exploration of scattered ideas on the nearly 47-minute-long closer. In the past, they’ve been more focused on scrambling brains with their works, but here they use longer periods of time and a less frantic approach to create a work more atmospheric, albeit with the odder touches still coming through, just as a splash rather than a splatter. Get it here, or listen above.
Mamiko Suzuki — “Parmesan”
We’ve checked in on chelmico’s Rachel a bit since the duo went on hiatus…how about Mamiko Suzuki? She’s started getting back into the rap game, and with latest “Parmesan” she cooks over a spacious beat that rattles and whoozes, giving her all the space needed to showcase her dexterity. Listen above.
CVLTE — “Nani Mo Nai”
Speaking of groups in flux…at some point in recent time CVLTE went from being a band playing in the intersection between rock and “hyperpop” to just a solo project centered around Aviel Kaei. Not to be dismissive of what they were but…that’s probably fine, as “Nani Mo Nai” reminds that it was Kaei’s vocals and eagerness to let digital touches warp them into something weirder that give the best CVLTE songs their hook. That’s all on display here, with something that is at times Hot Topic tofubeats (positive!) in how it works in samples. Listen above.
r-906 — “Wonder”
We are about a month away from Backrooms coming out in Japan, meaning I have about another 30 days to write about the way contemporary Vocaloid culture has become wrapped up with that internet-born series and the general “liminal” unease of the modern web. The lyrics and especially video fro r-906’s “Wonder” offer another entry into this lore, and another reminder for me to get on this.
But today I’m fixated on the sound of “Wonder,” which uses some particularly sweet Hatsune Miku tuning in service of a sound I haven’t heard pop up in a ton of contemporary Vocaloid. I’m not the first to think the opening jog of the song and general tempo here recalls Sakanaction, which makes sense as they’ve become one of modern Japan’s most central groups. That’s a great touch, and I like how r-906 uses the repetition that band excels at for something more disorienting. But then…at certain points the producer switches this up to a more shuffling beat with a focus on the bass and I think I’m going crazy because it reminds me of Outkast? Specifically the parts in “Hey Ya!” especially after the first chorus. It’s a great nod, and one adding to the overall wooziness present. Listen above.
Sometimes I review a show, sometimes I visit a music-related space in Tokyo…and other times I react to the news of the week.
Back in the day, the Oricon Music Charts were the go-to path to music stardom in Japan. Acts of all sorts traversed these lands, trying to sell as many CDs as possible in order to land a good ranking on a chart choosing to only count physical sales, even as the Internet came to be and the number of versions offered for sale got ridiculous. Today, with the country finally in on digital, these roads are more barren and only looked at by the most fanatic of supporters needing something to celebrate. Yet every week, a new song sells enough plastic to take the top spot. So let’s take a trip down…the Oricon Trail.
Nogizaka46 — “Zehi Ni Oyobazu” (509,783 Copies Sold)
A good pitcher doesn’t simply wow every time they take the mound. It’s about being reliable and staring down the other team even when you aren’t firing on all cylinders. Sometimes you stink…or are just kind of mediocre. But gotta still throw the ball.
I think idols are kinda similar. A group like Nogizaka46 needs to put out singles consistently…sometimes they go hard, other times they feel like a miss. And in some cases you get a number like this, which is just…sorta there. Even the guitar comes off like it’s eating innings. Listen above.
Rock band GEZAN announced it will be going on hiatus following allegations of “sexual misconduct” by vocalist MahiTo The People. The singer himself also shared a detailed post admitting to the claims…and going into detail about what he did, which is more like straight-up sexual assault (taking advantage of the victim while they were intoxicated and claimed to use a condom during it despite not actually doing so). The outfit’s shows have been cancelled, and MahiTo The People has been under heavy criticism since, both for the actions he admitted too and the tone of his apology.
YOASOBI and Ado performed at Lollapalooza this past weekend…and it looked like they attracted big crowds.
Number_i announced its first world tour…though only “Chapter 1: Japan” which involves dates at domes. So, they’ve really announced the idea of a world tour.
The South Korean festival XMF — featuring Korean and Japanese acts — shared its lineup.
I’m trying so hard not to talk about MUSIC AWARDS JAPAN anymore…but going on the Nante Japan Podcast to chat about it actually felt pretty fun (and, uhhhh, kind of stress relief…I think I’m happy to let some of my stress about this event out now).
New Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs album out…next week?!?!
PAS TASTA made a song for a JASRAC campaign…I mean, they all can’t be winners.
mgk aka Machine Gun Kelly collaborated with Yuki Chiba for “JJK.” This one…could deserve a post all of its own, as I’m not sure if it’s the perfect snapshot of “cool, Japan!” theory or of weeaboo excess. Either way…mgk sure does know a lot of anime, which he basically lists.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Check out the Best Of 2026 Spotify Playlist here!
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