Back catalogue: Pop

Review: Inokasira Rangers is a reggae band from Tokyo who've been around since the 1990s, but they're hardly (criminally) known outside of Japan. Their latest release, 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You,' promises to change that, covering Frankie Valli's timely original from the late '60s, not to mention Crystal Waters' dance-pop hit on the B. A Shibuya-kei sensibility runs through this sweet pair of covers, but the main mode is lo-fi reggae. The Waters cover is particularly charming, as if this were the original, and the song had existed as a folk song for generations prior to the glitzy rave version.

Review: The third full-length studio album from Singaporean singer-songwriter-producer Nat Cmiel (aka yeule) released to rave reviews earlier this September, following an ethereal rollout with singles 'dazies', 'ghosts' and 'inferno' showcasing exactly what yeule excels at: worldbuilding. 'softscars' is now the 3rd instalment in one of the most exciting album runs in modern alt-pop, shifting away from the glitchy, electronic ambience of predecessor 'Glitch Princess', moving in a more rock-centric, brighter direction. This isn't to say the album doesn't have its soul-crushing moments, opening track 'x w x' closes with a defiant scream of frustration, whilst the drums, guitar and synths fight each other for dominance - bottoming out into a gentle outro sequence. The calm after the storm. We could go on about this album for hours, as a yeule fan it feels so fresh but so perfect with it's oscillating directness in delivery. Whereas 'Glitch Princess' felt like travelling through a clastrophobia-inducing tunnel at time, 'softscars' is that moment you burst out of the tunnel and are hit with a huge green vista. It's my album of the year but, hey, what do I know?