Welcome to Erin’s Monthly Mixtape for June 2023! I love recommending artists every month, but I also listen to a lot of music throughout the month that I’d love to talk about as well! This month I’ve been listening to a lot of singer-songwriters that I think are really rad, as well as some bigger artists in collaboration that I’m especially excited to share! Please enjoy and tell me what you think of the format, the artists, or what you’ve been listening to this month!
“アイドル” (“Idol”) by YOASOBI
So far “Idol” has been at the top of the Billboard Japan Top 100 for 10 consecutive weeks, and the hype has definitely spread into my own life. This song has shown up on every playlist my partner has played recently, and I definitely had to go search for the song right away. There’s an English version as well, and apparently it’s the theme song for an anime called Oshi no Ko, but the song definitely stands on its own with its powerful rap energy that belongs in a K-pop song along with its cohesive J-pop melodies and electronic beats.
“線香花火” (Senkou Hanabi – “Sparkler”) by 佐藤千亜妃 SATO CHIAKI feat. 幾田りら Ikuta Lilas
If you’ve been around since the beginning of O!susume RadioBeat, then you know that I started out with a guest post on one of my favorite bands of all time called Kinoko Teikoku. The vocalist for that band is named Sato Chiaki, and she’s recently been releasing some really cool music as a soloist in her own style. Here’s a really chill song that I’ve really been enjoying featuring Ikuta Lilas whose voices harmonize beautifully together. Sing along with me to the sweet “a-oh! a-oh!”
“Spring at the Bottom of the Dam” by 日食なつこ Natsuko Nisshoku ft. Sobs
Natsuko Nisshoku is one of the coolest singer-songwriters I’ve found recently. This song is off of her latest album, HANAYODO -flower and dust- released in April 2023. I’m super excited to see her collaboration with the indiepop band Sobs from Singapore that I’ve heard through one of my favorite labels, Topshelf Records (which I’ve mentioned in my toe and tricot articles). This song utilizes their awesome indie synth sounds along with Natsuko’s cool vocals to create a song that I really have been vibing with this month.
“Snooze” Agust D ft. 坂本龍一 Sakamoto Ryuichi, WOOSUNG
South Korean band BTS’s member Suga, AKA Agust D, released his solo album “D-DAY” in April 2023 and I was surprised to see the song “Snooze” was in collaboration with the Japanese composer and legend Sakamoto Ryuichi, who passed away in March 2023. Sakamoto was a solo artist and previous member of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) who can be credited with developing several genres of electronic music. His career was wide-reaching with many international collaborations, including his compositions in the movie “The Last Emperor” which inspired Agust D to make music when he was a child. I love that this song is dedicated to Agust D’s juniors who have been inspired by him to get into music, while also being in collaboration with his own inspiration. WOOSUNG’s vocals are sweet and melodic alongside of Agust D’s rapping and Sakamoto’s piano, and it’s just a lovely song overall.
“どこへも行かないで” (Doko e mo ikanaide – “Don’t go anywhere”) by 柴田聡子 Shibata Satoko
Shibata Satoko is a singer-songwriter I recently found when I was researching for my Quruli article when I stumbled upon an interview with her saying Quruli was the first band she seriously listened to independently. I found her interview about the 10th anniversary of her debut interesting, especially about her relationship with putting her face on her albums throughout the years. I decided to listen to a few of her songs, and was hooked right away. Here’s a song that’s got me swaying along—let me know what you think!
Links
Youtube Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3ak6RpCfPehl2cBYVc6TbEzcA0ryoOe1
Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ZFMlEIhlIZ8cNbSX1i0du?si=93d2bad65689495c
This Broadcast was written by Erin; you can find them on instagram at @thekniterin.