10. REFLEX by SANDAL TELEPHONE (October 18, 2022)
What a year these girls have had! SANDAL TELEPHONE (SDTP) started the summer off strong with their first 2022 release Lightsurfer, but it was the laid-back confident funk of second a-side review preview that really caught my attention. I waited for their first full-length album eagerly and it did not disappoint. REFLEX has a vision: funk and disco-infused pop, big hooks and a healthy injection of showiness. They execute it flawlessly. Occasionally there’s an idol release that’s so consolidated in its delivery, so aware of its concept, and brings home just how special a release can be. Be Free, a highlight, has spiralling electronics imbued with rock elements, but the girls never let the instrumentation overpower their vocals. Koi no Mahoutsukai ni wa Narenai provides dramatics aplenty, as does Aoi Kagami, whose glitz and frenetics echo the heydeys of Predia and SDN48. This album is best enjoyed all in one go, which is a testament to its integrity.
Standouts? Review preview, Be Free, Koi no Mahoutsukai ni wa Narenai
9. Redo by MIGMA SHELTER (August 1, 2022)
“Don’t you know you make me sad?” was the refrain in everyone’s heads this August. We only had one official release from psy-trance angels MIGMA SHELTER this year but it was an amazing one. The title track is a perfect distillation of what the group have given us over the past couple of years, some messy guitars bubble away in the background as the song builds to its high tempo synth riff. GATE is sparkling with euphoria from the get-go, before it takes off into distinctive MIGMA SHELTER-esque bass — “Swaying in front of my eyes is 144 GATE” — a reference to the BPM of the song (and, incidentally, the same BPM of all 3 songs on the single). The single is rounded off perfectly with a cover of THERE THERE THERES’ Sunrise=Sunset, a spirited reimagining of the song, warping its way around the rythym. I’m eagerly anticipating their next release with new members, Yuinon and Wanya+. There’s simply nothing these girls do that isn’t exciting.
8. Circle by CROSSNOESIS (April 12, 2022)
CROSSNOESIS come to us as part of exiled HAMIDASYSTEM members, with the second half of that group further up my countdown (can you tell I have a type?). Circle arrives two years after their debut, but it was worth the wait. Sayshine is a hugely gifted producer. The intro and first song, Tsubasa Yori, are the perfect introduction to the soundscapes, transforming the listening experience into a journey. moon light rips right through the spine of the album, a breathless canter with breakbeat influences urging it along. The album is populated with skits, numbered 1–6 but with no 2 (yes, this troubles me), but not placed in numerical order in the tracklist. I listened to them in order to see if they would create a cohesive song, but actually it sounds like a terrifying corridor of electronic existential sound — which is the next best thing — and in many ways creates a microcosm of the feel of the album itself. I admire the artistry. Elsewhere on the album, Reincarnation (or is it ‘Linker Nation’?) builds up to enthusiastic clapping beats, saturated with vocal layering and repetitions. Ark’s instrumental pulses with life, the girls’ voices tinged with longing. I have cycled through almost every track on this album, choosing each one as my favourite, which speaks to its longevity.
Standouts? Tsubasa Yori, moon light, ark, Genkou
7. xYZ by ExWHYZ (November 2, 2022)
Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, EMPiRE was reborn as ExWHYZ. Without even a breath between veritable panic (losing, in my opinion, one of the strongest WACK groups), WACK pivoted to yet more surprise, announcing at EMPiRE’s disbandment concert that they would transform into ExWHYZ. I treated this with a note of caution, as with all Watanabe Junnosuke group announcements, but I’m more than happy to be proved wrong in this instance. ExWHYZ are the coolheaded, electronic-dance older sisters, who slipped into their refreshing new roles with ease. Their debut album xYZ is proof of this accomplishment. Kicking off with an atmospheric intro xYZ, we segue into D.Y.D., initially much softer than its underlying demanding bass suggests, but soon builds to an attention-grabbing dark dance track. My only slight gripe with this album is that the preceding singles, Wanna Dance and Obsession, are such insanely high watermarks — boasting Osawa Shinichi and Maika Loubte on production, respectively — that it was a tall order to match their greatness. Weekend is a real highlight — a sleek heady cocktail of synth with a punchy chorus, produced by ex-Full8loom producer Jake K. However, ExWHYZ are starting high and I believe they will climb even higher. There’s more than meets the ears at first listen, so give it another spin if you weren’t convinced first time round.
Standouts? Weekend, D.Y.D, 4:00am
6. yikes! by Hullabaloo (October 28, 2022)
What a fun EP! I didn’t know much about this group, but the cute cover and name of the EP (the exclamation point really adds to it), but I’m so glad I gave it a chance. In-keeping with the tone of the cover and name, the EP bounces all over the place from genre to genre. Yikes! is pure unbridled chaos (yelps and shouts included), whereas my personal favourite, Blue, is a wistful yet accomplished dream pop number, with the word ‘Blue’ repeated over and over again to create a gorgeous velvety melody. Fans of Yanakoto Sotto Mute would enjoy this one. On the other hand, TOKYO SEA deep dive is an endearing slice of faux-reggae, and feels like yet another chance for the group to showcase their diversity of sound. The winner of the ‘leftfield’ song stakes however is the fantastically titled (exhausting) Shit Zeus, complete with crying sounds and screaming. I wish I knew how to describe it, but words slightly fail me, and that’s what makes it so excellent. Honestly, Zeus is a bit of a shit. They’re not wrong. The more I listen to this wacky little EP the more I adore it.
Standouts? Blue, TCMCMCG, yikes!
5. Watashi no Ichiban Kawaii Tokoro /わたしの一番かわいいところ by FRUITS ZIPPER (April 29, 2022)
“From Harajuku to the world!” is a sentiment we’ve all heard before on the idol scene, but one that piques our interest time and time again. Why is that? Is it the appeal of the possible? Or the dreams on Takeshita-doori? That maybe this one will crack the big time? For this year, we’ve found it. Watashi no Ichiban… serves up nothing new per se, but what it doles out in orthodoxy it does astonishingly well, and that’s why we’ve all fallen for it. “You notice the cutest things about me / That’s what makes you so amazing, amazing, amazing!” And who are we to argue, really? The song’s ‘unexpected’ success on TikTok (I will begrudge no idol marketing strategy) has paid dividends for the group, soundtracking thousands of cutesy videos of people showing off the cutest parts of themselves. There’s nothing underhanded about FRUITS ZIPPER’s performance and delivery, but there is a cheeky undertone of knowing: we’ve got the formula that works. Refreshingly self-aware.
4. How did they do it? No, seriously? aka Situasion’s entire musical output this year (various, 2022)
Where do I even begin with this? I tried in earnest to pick only one of Situasion’s numerous releases this year, and I genuinely couldn’t choose one. They kicked off the year with the incredible single EVENT HORIZON, a foreboding dark house track that goes deeper and deeper, as the girls practically chant “Two eyeballs got to DARKNESS DARKNESS, braincells got to DARKNESS DARKNESS” culminating in a driven guitar finish. Three versions were released, each one a little longer than the other; inviting the listener to embrace the darkness of the sound. Cut to March, and we have compilation album THE YEAR, collating their 2021 singles which embrace shoegaze, taut electronica and what I like to call the ‘piano-falling-down-the-stairs’ sound, now beloved by contemporaries Ringwanderung, but arguably pioneered by Maison book girl back in the day. May single All Girls Movement offered three distinct sounds from the group, cloudy, dreamy pop, IDM and straight-up heavy rock. The summer saw a quick spate of 3 releases, whose covers would belie them as punkish numbers, but instead mix sounds at home with Ed Banger, The Sims soundtracks (highly complimentary) and glitch. November was for many the high watermark of Situation’s discography, with their impeccable mini album amputasion. That is an album to sit up and take notice of. More instrumental, amputasion is morose, serious, joyous — it is mechanical and whirring, learned and deliberate, but warm at its core. And that’s where Situasion excel. Their output was neatly rounded off by single GATTAI, featuring two songs, GATTAI and gattai, the former a sophisticated pop tune, while its younger, lowercase sister, stutters along, a dip into the experimental, extending a further hand into the glitch and melancholic. It sounds truly chilling in places. Honestly, just listen to everything they have. It’s such an exciting time to be an idol fan.
Standouts? Event Horizon, NEOGAR, the blue dahlia, JAPANESE HORROR STORY, Kyoushitsu ni G
3. Best Wishes by Rilisreverse (July 13, 2022)
And we come to our second HAMIDASYSTEM offshoot — Rilisreverse. As with a lot of the groups in this top 10, Rilisreverse have crafted their own unique sound — breathless, ethereal poignancy that never falters, remaining open to the listener but at the same time something personal and emotive. Best Wishes is their second EP, released to commemorate their second anniversary. In only seven songs, the group manages to bare their hearts sonically, with a catchiness that masks their stirring sentimentality. Amaterasu, which carries a jaunty piano riff, with its underlying passionate edges, explodes into a cathartic outpouring of emotion around the halfway mark. Shoujo Ether harks back to the trance of HAMIDASYSTEM (produced by Lvl4) but even with a more conventional pop structure, still stands as something special and out of the ordinary. Ne, Regret utilises the gentle wind-up noises from the album’s opening, creating a fairytale-esque atmosphere to close the EP. Rilisreverse enter the new year with a fresh new line-up, and I’m certain I’m not alone in excitement for what they turn out next.
Standouts? Amaterasu, Shoujo Ether, Tsuioku no Oto
2. MAYBE PERFECT by DAI DAI DAI (February 23, 2022)
This EP holds a special place in my heart. Every so often, a release comes along that you listen to as part of ‘catching-up’, or because it’s making the rounds on Twitter and seems worth a go. And then you listen to it and it completely alters your brain chemistry. Please imagine me ascending on my commute listening to this EP for the first time. DAI DAI DAI are known for pushing musical boundaries, and by that I mean the boundaries of what is physically listenable. LASE sounds, in the most complimentary way, utterly diabolical. Around the third minute mark it descends into sheer disorder. I love the churning, syncopated rhythm of Manuke, where everything sounds wrong and off-key, lurching along like a broken-down vehicle. The vocal effects bring to mind Karin Dreijer of The Knife’s pitch-shifting antics. THROBBING meanwhile manages to incorporate the pneumatic drill and Christmas bells, plus a waltz at the end. Sublime. DAI DAI DAI are the epitome of “And now for something completely different.” As they say at the closing of 1 second, “In the future, being a flower seller would be nice…”. Sure, why not.
Standouts? LASE, Manuke, Black Desert
1. Green by RAY (May 3, 2022)
Bare feet on plush carpet. Witnessing the first autumn leaves gently fall from their branches. Sunbathing. The excitement in your tummy as the plane hits the tarmac. These are some of the same happy and fuzzy emotions that I experienced listening to what is, undoubtedly, my favourite album of the year.
RAY have already solidified themselves in the canon of shoegaze idols. Green marks the perfect developmental curve from their equally stunning debut album, Pink. The group are no stranger to experimenting with new ideas, and welcomed a cadre of diverse producers for Green: Daniel Knowles of the British shoegaze band Amusement Parks on Fire, Ishikawa Yuki from My Dead Girlfriend, and Matsuura Tomoya, who has worked with acts like YUKI and My Little Lover. The end product is ultimately a laour of love, refining each and every effort into an interwoven story.
Amongst the shoegaze, which the group have sharpened and refined without losing the ethereal elements, we have techno pop (Test), poetry reading (Skyline), synthwave (Moon Palace), as well as an acoustic ending (Message) of vulnerability. The album beginswith Gyakkou, a woozy noise number pierced with twinkling chimes — a perfect encapsulation of RAY themselves. Following a blistering cycle of synth, 17 opens with the lyric, “It’s a nostalgic story for everyone, isn’t it?”. Maybe that’s what makes it so perfect.
Albums like these are a gift, and stay with us for a long time. I didn’t expect this from RAY this year, but I’m so glad to experience it. No sophomore slump for these girls.
Standouts? Moon Palace, 17, Skyline, I swim at night
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Thanks everyone for reading! You can find me on Twitter @wondervogell.
