Metoronori — forgot reef number
The coast can inspire an otherworldly sensation. Recently I went up to Aomori Prefecture…a nearly four hour Shinkansen ride away from Tokyo…for, well, I’m not sure. Just the draw of a place I’ve never been. On a rainy Wednesday I boarded a train running along the Shimokita Peninsula, bound for an onsen town in the off season. There wasn’t much to do, especially as the precipitation picked up and clouds thickened. I walked out as far as I could, onto a concrete pier, and just stared at Yuno Island. Covered in trees, it felt otherworldly in the middle of this storm, almost surreal to look at.
A similar feeling runs through forgot reef number, the newest album from parallel-world-pop savant Metoronori. Whereas all I can do is attempt to describe an otherworldly feeling through words and iPhone footage, Metoronori Hikari can create bedroom music that feels like slipping into a private world, something she has been doing since the early 2010s. Her latest draws inspiration from the coastlines of her home in Chiba, along with a commemorative coin featuring said seascape. From this, she creates an album examining the connection between people and ocean-adjacent nature, dizzying but always catchy.
It all plays out as something like a travelogue, albeit a very Spirited Away kind of trip. Wisps of synth and distant voice float along as Metoronori’s own singing emerges on the title song, trying to practically break through some barrier. Her voice has always been the key element to her music, zooming between barely audible and up front, and across forgot reef number she’s once again using it to guide those along through passages both delicate and dandy. “Yokaze ・Shellfish Cuisine” might be the jauntiest music she’s ever made, her vocals going from muted to skippy as the melody turns bubbly. It recedes, before coming back lusher than before. Later on “Hall” that turns lonely as she makes synths sound like reverberations and let her voice echo off, emphasizing the feeling of uneasy solitude in a space where it sounds like someone else is shouting back.
It often sounds otherworldly, like pop music beamed in from the breaks in reality, shaped by the experience of dwelling on the sea. For Metoronori, it’s another example of her skill at making the inward sound as warm and intriguing as any pop, without losing the unique vantage point that can turn a coastline into another world. Get it here, or listen above.
koeosaeme — Makuhari
The opposite of sandy coasts might very well be Makuhari, a Chiba newtown far more commercial and borderline plastic than anything inspiring the inner escapes of forget reef number. I’ve been to this place potentially more than any city outside of Tokyo owing to the number of concerts / festivals / conventions held at Makuhari Messe, a daunting convention center turned into cultural hub, along with having family in the neighborhood. It’s not a bad place per se, but most certainly an artificial one, where a series of malls and a Costco serve as landmarks minutes away from the Pacific Ocean.
The unease of navigating the area comes through clearly on producer koeosaeme’s Makuhari, an exploration of the modern city’s nature colliding with its origin as just another part of the sea. Every song is coordinates to a part of the region (inside an Aeon Mall, or on a street outside a Tony Romas, or even near the convention center), where the electronic artist recorded sounds — I hear a lot of wind, which is on point — that he later joined with other noises to create woozy compositions split between the natural and unnatural. It can be skittery and busy like morning rush hour and, when venturing to seaside parks, calming and reflective. It’s all Makuhari, though. Get it here, or listen above.
SEE — esse
I went back to M3. After being wowed so much this past spring, I had to head out again for the fall edition. And while it wasn’t great on my wallet, it was amazing for my soul. It’s easy to fall into cynicism when you use Twitter too much and start reading the same angry music opinions over and over again…so actually going to an event celebrating the act of creation functions as a palette cleanser.
Plus, so much great music to discover! An early highlight is the new album from electronic artist SEE, which calls on singers both human and virtual to create a rollicking set at times recalling the early days of Vocaloid (Hachioji-P vibes abound on “Kiitone!” and “tenshi” featuring higma) and other times very much in the now (the disorienting garage rush of “Chart Wo Sukashitara,” both exhilarating and a little creepy thanks to the digi-voice of NurseRobot_TypeT, very 2026 in utilization). Listen above.
Various Artists — Yukishirube feat. Yufu Sekka
Speaking of must-gets, this compilation featuring 32 artists using the winter-themed Utau Yufu Sekka (best known around these parts as being the vocalist for a masterpiece) was near the top of my wish list. It’s a great experiment in the singing-synthesizer scene to see how nearly three dozen creators approach the same instrument, some leaning into the chilly characteristics of the character while others embrace a more active sound to help propel her monotone forward (others…doing a little of both!). Get it here, or listen above.
AFRICAN SUMMER TIME — Compass
And one last M3 tradition…a new release from home-based pop project AFRICAN SUMMER TIME, this time a particularly breezy one. Compass’ opener “Ringing” finds Utatane Koyori’s voice turned into trade winds as her singing criss-crosses to create something propulsive. From there AFRICAN SUMMER TIME dabbles in “city pop” streaks as they seek a city escape on the twinkling longing of “Elsewhere” or the more heart racing dance-pop of “Charm Me!” Get it here, or listen above.
eyed — “silence”
There’s going to be an absolute surplus of “global girl groups” in the months ahead. The success of outfits like KATSEYE and to a lesser degree XG means labels will continue to explore this stateless idea of what pop can be, albeit with an awareness that adding in at least SOME cultural details can help it stand out from the X-slop. Full disclosure which totally informs where I’m coming from here…I assist on TWO of these on a PR level, kiOra and CIRRA, which hints to me at how J-pop at large is going to double down on this type of project in the years ahead.
The most intriguing of the bunch to date would be Avex’s eyed, a project that pivots away from the K-pop-isms of so many of these projects in favor of…industrial pulses and existential lyrics?!?! This is as close as the label has gotten to FAMM’IN, and of course I’m drawn to the two names behind the scenes. The lyrics and toplines come courtesy of rising creative dynamo Fuki Kitamura (and you can really hear her dizzying vocal style coming through here) while the machine chug is from machìna, a producer who has long been top-notch around these parts. That’s a crazy combination for Avex, and it results in one of the best versions of this kind of global-eyeing pop — jumping between languages while being both disorienting and claustrophobic. Listen above.
Mugendai MewType — “mugamuchu”
Though why can’t we celebrate the anime girls putting in the work too???
Apologies for not being up on BanG Dream! project Mugendai MewType…but I’m certainly intrigued after the skippy “mugamuchu,” which calls on Kenmochi Hidefumi to lay down a constant zip of a song featuring piano lines and club flourishes. This is where the producer shines though, keeping the energy up while also making sure the musical ideas never get caught in a loop. Listen above.
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The Halloween theme continues for paid subscribers, who get one extra post a week and will be able to check out one more spooooooky piece sometime in the coming days. Most recently, I looked at the history of J-pop at Universal Studio Japan’s Halloween Horror Nights.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of Oct. 12, 2026 To Oct. 18, 2026
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.
Sakurazaka46 — “Ai MUST BE” (565,375 Copies Sold)
Few groups in modern J-pop have figured out their worldview and how to share it consistently like Sakurazaka46. At this point I’m just repeating myself every couple of months when they top Oricon…while not quite as angst-ridden as they were early on as Keyakizaka46, this group adds an ever-present tension to its idol hop. With “Ai MUST BE” our story opens happy, with the protagonist seemingly in a relationship. Yet that doesn’t stop them from dwelling on the chance said situation could sour, while before spiraling out into more existential thoughts regarding love and our world today (shout-out to 8.3 billion people around the world!). They just do this really well, adding a dash of reality to pop fantasy while still letting some optimism sneak in between the unease.
Will also note the music of “Ai MUST BE” does some nifty nods to retro idol sounds — the snappy percussion, the big machine bursts at the end of the chorus, even the strings themselves — while weaving in modern touches to create a sound that is similarly tense and thus fitting for the lyrical concerns of the group. Listen above.
News And Views
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The Umamusume show that was in threat of being cancelled due to visa issues indeed ended up not happening. Parent company Cygames announced it would reimburse expenses for all who had traveled to LA (if specific criteria was met) for what was supposed to be the franchise’s first US show. Despite the setback…and a reminder of how hard it is to get visas in the first place…fans of the series still made the most of the weekend, via meet-ups and DJ events that still went on.
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STARKIDS taking a hiatus from live performances to focus back on the internet.
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Brrrrrr getting chilly…that’s because Kohaku season is coming. Natalie has some predictions for who will appear at this year’s edition of NHK’s year-end bonanza.
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Zutomayo held a two-day event in Nara Prefecture among temples and ruins earlier this month…and it was a huge success??? I will admit I missed this probably due to work, but 70,000 people came across the weekend to see what looks like a pretty unique event, with even more watching the livestream. They brought out Nara’s mascot! It was a boom for the local economy!
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There’s so many online controversies and brouhahas daily on Japanese X alone that I’m a bit surprised anger over Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s new video for the song “Cinderella” hasn’t bubbled up into something bigger. I guess when the French are bombarding the entire country via social media, it’s tough to focus. Anyway, there’s dueling issues here. The first is simple — the animation in the clip looks AI assisted, if not AI generated. The second is a bit trickier — part of the narrative revolves around a woman working a job as a hostess at kyabakura, which has angered many who think it is not appropriate to be shown by such a popular band and one that has previously worked with Disney.
Views: The AI one is pretty straightforward, they maybe could have gotten away with it if the bits featuring it (not confirmed by the way but…I mean, it has that texture to it, gonna need proof it wasn’t used) were short, but it’s a major part worthy of criticism. The hostess element, meanwhile, I’m far more eye-rolley about. It’s pretty obviously a thematic tie-up with the central idea of the song — some say “why don’t make her a fast food worker???” but McDonald’s staff don’t dress up like princesses to indulge in fantasy — and I think it’s pretty idiotic to be aghast at this being portrayed in a video…rather than angry it exists in the first place? Look, if you want to knock “Cinderella,” just zero in on the potential AI, that’s your path.
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There was a Pokemon “rave” at LA’s Intuit Center this weekend. If you’ve ever wanted to watch giant Pikachus bop aside Marshmello, well this was your event.
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Insane comparison of how HANA dances versus FRUITS ZIPPER using all kinds of data that makes my dumb head spin.
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Kenshi Yonezu to contribute song to The Apothecary Diary movie. Related…should I watch the anime? Sound off in the comments.
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For some reason YouTube’s algorithm has been feeding me novelty DJ sets lately, perhaps downstream of liking Login.jp performances in rice fields. Among those sent my way by our tech overlords is this kid doing a set of city pop songs inside a high school classroom overlooking the ocean during lunch. Charming!
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Check out the Best Of 2026 Spotify Playlist here!
