{"id":8331,"date":"2026-09-14T08:34:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=8331"},"modified":"2026-09-14T08:34:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T15:34:07","slug":"make-believe-melodies-for-sept-14-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=8331","title":{"rendered":"Make Believe Melodies for Sept. 14, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_!AF4B!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b817170-9aec-4e81-9a00-b9aa6a8e6d4f_640x640.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_!AF4B!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b817170-9aec-4e81-9a00-b9aa6a8e6d4f_640x640.jpeg\" width=\"554\" height=\"554\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/9b817170-9aec-4e81-9a00-b9aa6a8e6d4f_640x640.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:640,&quot;width&quot;:640,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:554,&quot;bytes&quot;:111727,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/i\/215486320?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9b817170-9aec-4e81-9a00-b9aa6a8e6d4f_640x640.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-link-expand\">\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset\"><button tabindex=\"0\" type=\"button\" class=\"pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image\"><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" type=\"button\" class=\"pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>yoyou \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong>Yoyou Nari No<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s easy to survey the post-pandemic landscape of young Japanese electronic creators in Tokyo and see only pent up energy. All-night ragers at WWW in Shibuya with crowds of 20-something putting iPhones up in the air, or messy evenings behind the Ford Mustang bonnet at Asagaya Drift, or general low-level rowdiness at a party like Tokio Shaman. It\u2019s a narrative with a lot of truth behind it \u2014\u00a0kids suddenly cut off from the world around them turn to music and, once the situation lightens up, cut loose. Yet it doesn&#8217;t capture the whole landscape.<\/p>\n<p>Artist yoyou\u2019s debut album <em>Yoyou Nari No <\/em>plays like an alternative history, offering a different vantage point on what has unfolded over the last six years in the capital and beyond. The creator herself has always been more introspective and hazy, representing a more inward looking (but, critically, still extrovert in nature) community using COVID-associated sounds to create songs happy to float. Her first full-length celebrates this space, while featuring echoes of artists associated with the greater space \u2014\u00a0RYON4, Tohji, Le Makeup \u2014\u00a0alongside her own bleary-eyed viewpoint.   <\/p>\n<p><em>Yoyou Nari No <\/em>\u2014 itself a <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/track\/3uWSiaAuhKICzQGdVeXlAc?si=946c9b88273346f8\">reference to a song<\/a> by ahead-of-its-time-duo TENG GANG STARR \u2014\u00a0captures the ethos of this space as good as any album from the last half decade. It\u2019s a foggy set of electronic songs inspired by rap but bending beyond that one genre, often featuring vocals on the verge of disappearing into the music itself. Numbers like \u201ce-nami\u201d and \u201cayumi\u201d sound like they are unfolding in inverse, woozy and marked by lyrics wrestling with heavy personal thoughts rather than engaging with the outside world. \u201cDancer\u201d strips away nearly everything in favor of tape hiss and string plucks, over which yoyou delivers one of her rawest singing performances. Elsewhere, you have \u201cpure sad bird\u201d sounding like some minimalist IDM. Whatever form she embraces, yoyou digs into herself, spotlighting the personal that has bled out of this music. <\/p>\n<p>But, critically, she isn\u2019t alone. <em>Yoyou Nari No <\/em>is a communal album, with all the beats produced by friends of yoyou \u2014\u00a0primarily ambienceyankee and Ninaa \u2014 and filled with touches nodding to the still-nascent history of this scene. Le Makeup pops up to add his hyperearthy touch to \u201cBeach\u201d while, <a href=\"https:\/\/avyss-magazine.com\/2026\/09\/09\/75510\/\">according to an AVYSS interview<\/a>, the sad-shuffling \u201cnaitaraiinoni\u201d was originally made for Tohji, who planned on using it but didn\u2019t get around to it\u2026allowing it to slide to yoyou for an album capturing the breadth of a world he played a part in shaping. It\u2019s yoyou, though, who explores it for all its worth, resulting in a stellar debut and a snapshot of a period. Listen above.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;e7ULLnCZyg4&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"button-wrapper\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"ButtonCreateButton\"><a class=\"button primary\" href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/subscribe?\"><span>Subscribe now<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Yutai Communications \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong>Worth Lethe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>You can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep, and I think the same can be applied to bands and whom they choose to link up. Seeing neo-acoustic charmers Nagakumo pop up on Yutai Communications <em>Worth Lethe <\/em>gives you a hint of what to expect from the trio\u2019s second album, albeit with a slightly different perspective. Whereas the <a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-sept-8\">prior\u2019s <\/a><em><a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-sept-8\">NGKM <\/a><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-sept-8\">creates a cozy atmosphere<\/a> thanks to an active study of Shibuya-kei and indie-pop, Yutai Communications come off more like too-online oddballs who also happen to like guitar-pop melodies. Alongside the pretty strum-guided sounds is rapped interludes, pitched-up vocals, skittery percussion, and a general wonky energy conveying too many late nights. Fittingly, when Nagakumo pop up on \u201cDear, My Moment,\u201d everyone puts on their best fits and tries to get along with the more prim-and-proper cousins\u2026but even then, left-field touches like radio static and nervy electronics add a bit of their own personality to it all. Listen above.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;4hpdlgwHbQI&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>House Of Tapes \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/7gwinkhouseoftapes.bandcamp.com\/album\/the-shape-of-what-remains\">The Shape of What Remains<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bandcamp-wrap album\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/7gwinkhouseoftapes.bandcamp.com\/album\/the-shape-of-what-remains&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Shape of What Remains, by House Of Tapes&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;3 track album&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/cd670fbf-6acf-4d9e-a7aa-e2d053b63ada_700x700.jpeg&quot;,&quot;author&quot;:&quot;House Of Tapes&quot;,&quot;embed_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2411997814\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/&quot;,&quot;is_album&quot;:true}\" data-component-name=\"BandcampToDOM\"><\/div>\n<p>Nagoya\u2019s House Of Tapes inspires an overuse of words like \u201cclaustrophobic\u201d and \u201ccrushing\u201d from me whenever something new rolls out. For the bulk of their career, the electronic artist has shown how the most constricting (hey, that\u2019s a little different) sounds can turn beautiful in the right hands. That sonic strangle creeps in a few times on <em>The Shape of What Remains<\/em>, but rather than being the center point this approach serves a more thematic purpose on what House Of Tapes says is their first suite. Here, the busier passages come only after a build set upon piano twinkles and woozy-making synth, going through passages of soft and loud. <a href=\"https:\/\/7gwinkhouseoftapes.bandcamp.com\/album\/the-shape-of-what-remains\">Get it here<\/a>, or listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>PAS TASTA \u2014\u00a0\u201cLAG\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s great that netlabel all-stars PAS TASTA have started getting more mainstream opportunities via <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/ZUTDe90QrsU?si=IXseKMLavYN39jEB\">anime<\/a> and, errr, <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Gs1i4gkBvxs?si=9_PQYbRExwrUnGa6\">JASRAC<\/a> collaborations. Still, the plucky fuck-it-let\u2019s-just-try-whatever attitude has always been critical to what the group does, and the exact sauce that made their first two albums among the best of the decade so far\u2026and what\u2019s lacking from those commercial offerings. \u201cLAG\u201d returns to the prior, embracing a Hakushi-Hasegawa rush of percussion over which they deliver an emotional vocal with just a smear of digital blur to it. The pairing makes for a great tension \u2014\u00a0longing meeting a souped-up road roller \u2014\u00a0without losing a pop sensibility. No need to shave off the jagged edges when you work with them so well. Listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>SWAPNOTES Featuring Peanuts-kun \u2014\u00a0\u201c(y)our cassette\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Similar to PAS TASTA in their early days, duo SWAPNOTES seemingly unlock something by working with rapping legume \/ VTuber legend Peanuts-kun on \u201c(y)our cassette.\u201d The pair have mostly <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/3aoDhHQvE-A?si=6ABbGnsE1zye5RV0\">been a DJ staple<\/a> primarily around Tokyo in recent times, but here they lay down a bloghouse-indebted rager with a detour into headbanging territory (how very \u201cPeanut Phenomenon\u201d of them) underlining their loose approach to genre. Tying it all together, Peanuts-kun holding down whatever they throw at him. Listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Summer Eye \u2014\u00a0\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/summereye.bandcamp.com\/track\/toho\">Toho<\/a>\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"bandcamp-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/summereye.bandcamp.com\/track\/toho&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;\u5f92\u6b69 Toho, by Summer Eye&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;track by Summer Eye&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/b7d7609e-70c2-4244-bfcf-0b7456cea3d6_700x700.jpeg&quot;,&quot;author&quot;:&quot;Summer Eye&quot;,&quot;embed_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/tracklist=false\/artwork=small\/track=2094078838\/transparent=true\/&quot;,&quot;is_album&quot;:false}\" data-component-name=\"BandcampToDOM\"><\/div>\n<p>With the season in their artist name coming to an end, Summer Eye senses some urgency on \u201cToho.\u201d To beat out incoming sweater weather, they lay down one of the fastest songs they\u2019ve released under the moniker to date, matching the dashing rhythm with horn blurts and a vocal that feels more caught up in it all then trying to keep up. <a href=\"https:\/\/summereye.bandcamp.com\/track\/toho\">Get it here<\/a>, or listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Pasmal \u2014\u00a0\u201cKotsukotsu\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;1745urNCa_k&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>How do you capture the vibe of a particular era while not making it feel like the equivalent of a musical midterm paper? Bring in someone who actually experienced that time to produce.<\/p>\n<p>Ai Otsuka produces high-school pop duo Pasmal, and on third single \u201cKotsukotsu\u201d channel the <em>Teen Titans-<\/em>era bounce of Puffy with a dash of Halcali\u2019s mid-aughts playfulness mixed in (mostly in the little noises they make, like the \u201chuh\u201d after the \u201cwhat you want\u201d). The reference points seem clear, but it doesn\u2019t come off like total imitation, perhaps because the actual bounce and chorus of this song is just so sticky as to rise above. But I also hand it to Otsuka, who can actually drill down into the sound of this era and update it, rather than simply study it. Listen above.<\/p>\n<h4><strong>Become A Paid Member Of Make Believe Melodies For An Extra Post Every Week!<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>For $5 USD a month, you\u2019ll get more writing from me\u2026including English versions of my articles for Newspicks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"digest-post-embed\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;8da12635-f5bc-4dfe-bead-7f5e61a8e7b6&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Who wouldn\u2019t jump on this story??? France and Saudi Arabia to open Dragon Ball Z themed amusement park near Paris. So much going in there, of course you would want some analysis as soon as possible.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Make Believe Bonus: Nations Want In On Japanese IP (Newspicks)&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:28594,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Patrick St. Michel&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Freelance writer in Tokyo&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!_hBR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F86987a4b-7dc4-468a-a2e3-8d50ec328afb_400x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-09-11T02:57:28.095Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!rhTq!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F87da74cc-9566-47ba-adad-890dbc769bfc_1724x1456.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-bonus-nations-want-in&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:215148911,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:0,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:71186,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Make Believe Mailer&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!RVQ-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd43daefc-8f05-408a-9061-f92693ba8bba_804x804.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}\"><\/div>\n<h4><strong>Oricon Trail For The Week Of Aug. 31, 2026 To Spet. 6, 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>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\u2019s take a trip down\u2026the Oricon Trail.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>EBiDAN \u2014 \u201cYes! Tokyo\u201d (70,546 Copies Sold)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;KsHKaP50FBE&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>If this feels familiar, that\u2019s because the all-hands-on-deck EBiDAN single \u201cYes! Tokyo\u201d has climbed back up to number one on the Oricon Singles chart after <a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-aug-25-67b\">debuting with over a million sold<\/a>. I think 70,000 copies sold after about four weeks is pretty impressive, though it\u2019s worth noting this seems like one of those down stretches for the chart. This giddy Avengers happening topped what sounds like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=dtWxWcDUZLs\">pretty green idol outfit<\/a> for the top spot, not exactly the strongest field.<\/p>\n<p>Since I wrote nearly enough this one the first time around, let\u2019s look at some news I overlooked last week. Thanks to reader <a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-sept-8\/comment\/332553309\">MontyHallProb for leaving a comment<\/a> noting how <a href=\"https:\/\/ebidan.jp\/news\/detail\/50000755?lang=en\">EBiDAN announced its right-protection policy<\/a>. It\u2026also feels familiar, in the sense that it brings to mind the policies instituted by Johnny &amp; Associates and LDH, in how they seemingly claim ownership over <em>every <\/em>image under its umbrella. Ultimately, seeing how any of this is actually enforced will determine just what it means\u2026but in theory, this does seem like a way to potentially curb any international opportunity the EBiDAN boys had, and possibly hurt the space where acts like M!LK broke out into the zeitgeist (TikTok, short-form video, etc). Again, let\u2019s see how this actually comes together\u2026but an example of how in a year where old-school idol has stormed back, it\u2019s possible for the business practices to be right alongside the music.<\/p>\n<h4>News And Views<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Speaking of old-school idol issues (that are always relevant)\u2026a <a href=\"https:\/\/nantejapan.com\/former-johnny-associates-staffer-admits-to-sexual-abuse\/\">former staffer at Johnny &amp; Associates admitted to The Asashi Shimbun that he sexually abused multiple underaged boys while at the company<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Fujii Kaze to hold a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/hehn.fujiikaze.com\/fpr\/\">piano recital<\/a>\u201d at Tokyo Dome over two days in November. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/newsdig.tbs.co.jp\/articles\/gallery\/2941728\">Enka singer Nobue Matsubara has died at age 65<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bunshun.jp\/denshiban\/articles\/b14841?utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=denshibanPublished\">According to Shukan Bunshun<\/a>, Sandaime J Soul Brothers are currently \u201cwinding down,\u201d and the tabloid labels them LDH\u2019s big money maker. So\u2026what comes next? <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Dc17WeLTwmM\/?hl=en\">Perhaps f5ve\u2019s upcoming Australia shows<\/a> will vault them into saviors of the agency. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/TREKKIETRAX\/status\/2097658007706538325\">TREKKIE TRAX CREW touring the US West Coast soon<\/a>, go check \u2018em out!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/dayglotheband\/status\/2098335597698097276\">New DYGL album out on Oct. 14<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>I <a href=\"https:\/\/daily.bandcamp.com\/album-of-the-day\/haruomi-hosono-yours-sincerely-review\">reviewed Haruomi Hosono\u2019s lovely <\/a><em><a href=\"https:\/\/daily.bandcamp.com\/album-of-the-day\/haruomi-hosono-yours-sincerely-review\">Yours Sincerely <\/a><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/daily.bandcamp.com\/album-of-the-day\/haruomi-hosono-yours-sincerely-review\">for Bandcamp Daily<\/a>, wherein I could flex my knowledge of obscure NHK dramas. But a very gorgeous album that feels like a treasure box collecting pieces from across his career and life.<\/p>\n<div class=\"bandcamp-wrap album\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/haruomihosono.bandcamp.com\/album\/yours-sincerely&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Yours Sincerely, by Haruomi Hosono&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;10 track album&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/d18957bb-3c86-413f-996e-c15d39329092_700x700.jpeg&quot;,&quot;author&quot;:&quot;Haruomi Hosono&quot;,&quot;embed_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=1014918793\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/&quot;,&quot;is_album&quot;:true}\" data-component-name=\"BandcampToDOM\"><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>YOASOBI performed at BlizzCon, which I admit the 15-year-old me who spent a week at \u201cinternet camp\u201d playing <em>Starcraft <\/em>with a pro player would find wild.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Remember <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DdEheN0SmDp\/\">the idol who put on a show in Kenya recently<\/a>? Welp, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JPopProjectNews\/status\/2094835172071940176\">she\u2019s now off to South Africa, spreading J-pop across Africa<\/a>. Mirai Skirt+, we salute you.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Mirin Furukawa, formerly of Dempagumi.inc but still going strong on her own, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FurukawaMirin\/status\/2099468215898513751\">will release a new single to coincide with her 40th birthday<\/a>. As someone on the cusp of that number too\u2026we salute you.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)<br \/>Twitter \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mbmelodies\">@mbmelodies<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/6LHkRA8cFRT5ZHPABezl7D?si=e699aa0a7ee94a74\">Check out the Best Of 2026 Spotify Playlist here<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap-editor\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}\" data-component-name=\"SubscribeWidgetToDOM\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p class=\"cta-caption\">Make Believe Mailer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fake-input-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fake-input\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fake-button\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>yoyou \u2014\u00a0Yoyou Nari No It\u2019s easy to survey the post-pandemic landscape of young Japanese electronic creators in Tokyo and see only pent up energy. All-night ragers at WWW in Shibuya&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8331\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}