It’s been a “will they or won’t they” situation with Kep1er over the past few weeks. After all, acts spawned from MNET competition shows usually come with an expiration date. However, the group has bucked tradition and extended their contract — minus members Mashiro and… Read More »Song Review: Kep1er – Shooting Star
A lot of people keep saying noise rock is back and that’s thanks in part to The Ghost is Clear Records. The Kansas City label has been gaining attention in recent years for putting out some of the genre’s strongest material and they’re rapidly gaining… Read More »Track Premiere: Ils – “Hail Mary”
When Esteban Flores says writing music as Slow Joy is therapeutic, he means it literally. The project began as an outlet for processing his grief over his mother’s passing at his therapist’s urging, but it’s grown larger in the four years since. His earliest releases… Read More »EP Review: Slow Joy – ‘Mi Amigo Slow Joy’
In connection with my desire to fully keep up with the J-pop industry, I’m planning to do a weekly round-up of any new releases that have caught my ear. Some of these may have been covered on the blog already, but my hope is that… Read More »New & Noteworthy J-pop of the Week (June 2, 2024)
In an interview with the podcast, “The Downbeat”, Brian Garris, lead singer of Knocked Loose, told the story of the band’s 3rd LP title, You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To. Brian says that a woman sitting next to him on a plane was talking to… Read More »Photography + Album Review: Knocked Loose