The J-Music Advance Party (March 2025)
Check out what's in store this month!
Hey! Good to see you! Glad you could drop by for this month’s J-Music Advance Party! As always, if you’ve been to one of these before, you probably already have a go-to spot, so feel free to head on down to the main event—I’ll catch up with you all in a bit.
But if this is your first time joining us here at the Party, let me take just a minute to fill you in on what we’re all about—
What is The J-Music Advance Party?
The J-Music Advance Party is a monthly publication where I quite simply talk about bands and artists that I personally plan on listening to this month (and subsequently recommend that you too as well) in advance of their upcoming albums and releases in the style of a an album “pre”-launch party of sorts.
These could be bands who have an album coming out that I’m excited for, or they could also be an artist whose discography I feel warrants further exploring starting with their new EP.
Whatever the case may be, these are releases that I’m both looking forward to and that I hope to put on your guys’ radar if they weren’t there already.
Make sure to subscribe to the newsletter if you haven’t yet by hitting the button underneath and secure your invite!
We continue to welcome more and more Party-goers with each issue, which honestly makes me so happy. I hope you’ve been enjoying the Party so far!
▸ AVYSS (Various Artists)
Set to get the party started for us this month is a group of artists who I can only describe as representatives of the modern era of Japanese music, all called upon by AVYSS magazine for an extra special generational album release.
AVYSS magazine is an online publication that officially launched in June 2018, dedicated to staying at the forefront of Japan’s underground music scene. Beyond just publishing daily news on up-and-coming artists—whether it’s covering new releases or promoting live shows—they go the extra mile by curating their own playlists, keeping fans tapped into indie standouts. They’ve also made a point to foster a real sense of community, giving readers a space to connect and talk about the music they love. To say that AVYSS is doing the most in that regard might actually be an understatement, as they’ve now gone a step further by launching their very own independent music label. Dubbed “AVYSS Egg”, the label officially made its debut with a launch party this past January, featuring a stacked lineup of guest artists from Japan’s ever-thriving underground scene. Some notable names from the lineup include ANORAK!, Cwondo, e5, uami, uku kasai, and plenty more.
Although AVYSS Egg was formally introduced in January 2025, its first official release, had already been in the works since December 2024, in a project they described as a “2000s neo-interpretation compilation work.” Titled i.e, the work was to be a cover album of iconic J-Pop and J-Rock songs from the 2000s and the 2010s, reimagined in the modern era featuring very same stacked lineup of artists present at the label’s launch party, wherein all songs on the album were performed.
To build anticipation for the upcoming release, AVYSS shared six teaser tracks from the thirteen featured on i.e.. These tracks gave listeners who weren’t in attendance a taste of what was to come, including the covers of Soutaiseiriron’s Jigoku Sensei by e5 and Haraguchi Sasuke, as well as ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION’s Re:Re by ANORAK! and illequal, offering fresh takes on some beloved classics. I personally stumbled upon the Jigoku Sensei cover while scrolling through rapper e5’s feed on X, and hearing an old favorite get such a refreshing reimagining really hit me in a special way. Now that the full album has dropped, I can say with confidence that it’s packed with even more surprises like that and then some, which I imagine was part of the intended effect.
i.e was released on March 5, 2024. Give it a listen here!
▸ 紫 今 (“mulasaki ima”)
Speaking of generational acts, please welcome to the stage, one of the reiwa era’s fast-rising music artists, Mulasaki Ima!
When I first came across Mulasaki Ima (a moment I actually wrote about in my blog), I wouldn’t have pegged her as someone destined to become a mainstream hit. Sure, I noticed a couple of her tracks, Golden Time and Bonjin-sama, hit the million-stream mark, but I thought of those as transient viral spikes fueled by social media buzz. After all, she’d been dropping songs in quick succession, and the streaming numbers seemed mostly isolated to those particular tracks. That all started to shift, though, with the release of Mashou no Onna A, her breakout single, which saw to a noticeable bump in her overall streaming numbers. What's interesting, however, is that this same pattern persists—her songs still appear to have a bit of a hit-or-miss quality for some listeners even after the fact, with none so far getting the same level of success as Masshou no Onna A (which now sits comfortably at 10.4 millions streams on Spotify, and 13.1 million on YouTube, her largest on both platforms)
Granted, considering Mulasaki made her artist debut just shy of two years ago in March 2023, one could easily say that she's still figuring things out and experimenting to see what sticks. What does seem to be working well for her, though, are songs structured in a way that their catchiest moments can be “clipped” and shared on social networking platforms (like TikTok, Instagram, etc.), which seems to have worked wonders. This approach bears a striking resemblance to another artist with a similar trajectory, noa. I’ve even mused to myself on more than one occasion that a couple of years from now, we’ll likely find ourselves debating between Mulasaki Ima’s and noa’s respective debut albums to see which one we liked more, and it’ll feel like choosing which Pokémon version you wanted to play.
At the very least, it would have been really fun seeing them both release their full album debuts around the same time, but unfortunately that’s not the case, and Mulasaki Ima will be putting hers out first this month—likely timed to coincide with the two-year anniversary of her debut single. The title of her upcoming album is eMulsion, and as you can see, the majority of the sixteen tracks on the record will be songs that have already been released as singles. Now, if you’ve been to previous Advance Parties, you might already have an idea of how I feel about these kinds of releases, but if not, well, the short of it is: I always feel a bit torn. On one hand, these are songs I can already listen to, so the album itself doesn’t feel entirely fresh, but on the other hand, the three new tracks are promising, to say the least. Personally, I’m especially excited for track number 9, Seishun no Bansan, with its more band-oriented sound. That and the other two new songs will definitely have to pull their weight for eMulsion to become a truly memorable release in my opinion, but I remain optimistic that they’ll do just that.
Mulasaki Ima’s first full album eMulsion is set to release on March 12, 2025.
▸ TRE@SON
Not to be outdone, give it up for the young and uber-talented TRE@SON!
I first came across TRE@SON during my trip to Japan, after spotting their debut EP, Natsu ga kirai na boku yori, on display as a store recommendation at TOWER RECORDS Shibuya. I was already making my rounds, checking out most booths like a kid in a candy store, but something about theirs caught my eye right away. If I had to pinpoint it, I’d say it was the DIY aesthetic—it looked like a school project. Sheets of copy paper with ‘TRE@SON’ scrawled in thick black marker and highlighted in bright colors. The EP’s jacket had that same charm, like neatly folded store-bought card stock adorned with hand-drawn lettering. But what really pulled me in was the artwork. I’d later learn it was the work of 生活 (seikatsu), an artist becoming known for providing promotional visuals for indie acts like sanetii and Yonatsume. In a strange twist of fate, they’ve also now created artwork for me, being the one responsible for the icon you’ll see here on this newsletter. But I digress.
I also distinctly remember picking up the provided headphones, selecting track 1 on the sample player, and listening to Yokaze (linked above) for the first time. The opening lines hit me in a way that I can only describe as a shake from the inside—one of those moments when you just know you’re hearing something special. It also stirred up a wave of nostalgia, bringing me back to the first time I heard Hump Back’s Circus many moons ago, with the same sort of impression it left on me.
The subtle similarities between TRE@SON vocalist Urumi and Hump Back’s Momoka aside, what really drew me to Circus back then—and what pulled me into Yokaze now—is the undeniable sense of youthful earnestness woven into the music. I mentioned this before on my blog, but I might just have a soft spot for teens living their best indie band life, basking in the springtime of their youth. I say that half in jest, but there’s truth to it—especially with TRE@SON, whose members are all still in high school. More often than not, bands like these thrive in a fleeting window of time, where the freedom of youth allows them to chase music without the weight of adult responsibilities. Some do manage to turn it into a career, but for many, reality sets in, and they have to call it quits as they step into society. Maybe that’s why songs like these carry such raw, unfiltered energy—because deep down, they know this moment might not last forever. I get that only a small percentage of bands make it in the long run, but I can’t help but selfishly hope TRE@SON becomes one of the exceptions. Not just for the sentimental aspect of it, but because they’ve got a genuinely solid sound. And if that doesn’t happen? Then all the more reason to cherish their music while we still can.
TRE@SON’s second EP 春を超えても (haru wo koete mo) is set to come out on March 19, 2025.
▸ Sundae May Club
Next up, please welcome Nagasaki’s own Sundae May Club!
On the topic of my trip to Japan, which, in reality, mostly revolved around hopping between live houses in Tokyo (read more about it here!), one of the standout experiences I had was catching singer Ura Koyuki’s first-ever one-man live. Funny enough, I hadn’t even planned on attending; the opportunity just sort of landed in my lap the day before it happened. Already a fan of hers, I was scrolling through her X feed to see if she had any street performances lined up near where I was staying, since she does them often and I’ve always wanted to see one in person (still do, honestly). Instead of street live updates, though, I stumbled across a post saying that tickets were still available for her upcoming show. On a whim, I shot an email to the event organizers to see if they could set one aside for me (pro tip: if you want to attend a live show and no ticket purchasing options are available to you, try to get in touch with either the venue orthose handling the event as there’s a good chance they’ll try to accommodate you). Not long after, someone got back to me, who I would later learn was her manager, giving me the thumbs up to attend. Luckily, my itinerary was flexible enough to make it work, and I’m glad it was, because the show ended up being one of my absolute favorites from the trip.
Now, some of you might be wondering why I’m recounting all this. For those unfamiliar, it’s because Ura Koyuki, aside from occasionally performing as a solo artist, like she did for this live show, is also the lead vocalist for Sundae May Club.
If I had to choose, I’d probably say I prefer Ura Koyuki’s solo work just a little more—mainly because she incorporates an acoustic guitar, whereas Sundae May Club leans into a more traditional rock band setup. In practice, though, there isn’t a huge difference between the two (at least in my opinion), largely because the defining thread in both is her distinctly powerful vocals. There’s something uplifting about her voice that’s hard to put into words—it’s clear, resonant, and carries that youthful energy I mentioned earlier. She wields it exceptionally well too, effortlessly shifting from a soft, gentle tone to belting at full power, which I’d chalk up to her experience performing on the streets. While that kind of dynamic vocal control is more of a singer-songwriter staple, bringing it into a full-band setting makes Sundae May Club’s songs feel even brighter and more vibrant. I expect nothing less from their upcoming second mini-album.
風がはやい (kaze ga hayai) is set to release on March 26, 2025.
▸ MIMiNARI
Closing things out for this month is none other than the composer duo of nari and sham, better known collectively as MIMiNARI!
Music ventures that involve composers—whether coming from the Vocaloid-producing world, the desktop music (“DTM”) world, or somewhere in between—bringing on and pairing up with vocalists isn’t entirely a new practice. Rather, it’s one that we’ve seen reached the highest levels of success as Japanese music artists not just in Japan but the world over. Just ask Ayase and Ikuta Lilas. I mean, it wasn’t just the mere act of pairing up that got them to where they’re at now, but it’s of course more so the effective combination of their respective artistry. That is to say, Ayase’s composition and Ikuta Lilas’ singing. It sounds like a no-brainer that that’s the case, and perhaps that was also the thinking of those that followed in their footsteps. While there were definitely some that made it work, perhaps a composer who found a singer they deemed a good fit for their work or vice versa (tayori and Misekai come to mind), not a whole lot have yet to reach the same heights as YOASOBI.
Perhaps the time for it has just come to pass and newer trends have since emerged. Now that there has since been an abundance of similar acts that have come out of the woodwork causing an oversaturation in the scene, maybe it warranted a different approach. Whether or not this was actually the case for MIMiNARI is beyond me, but regardless what’s clear is they are going about it in a different and for the most part exciting way. More importantly, it's a way that not many composers have the luxury of even being able to pursue, where rather than sticking to just one singer, MIMiNARI collaborates with a different vocalist for each track they create. Not only that, but to their credit, the duo has yet to have a singer perform more than one song for them.
Though the pair started out working with independent singers like Harutya and natsumi, everything changed when they signed with Sony Music Labels Inc. With the release of their debut single Ienai featuring asmi, they suddenly had access to Sony Music’s massive roster of vocal talent—an all of a sudden a whole new world of possibilities opened up. A lot of my personal favorite artists are signed to Sony as well, so part of the excitement for me is seeing if MIMiNARI will eventually collaborate with them. Another interesting thing is that, so far, since no singer has yet to make a repeat appearance on their tracks, it gives their music a fleeting, one-time-only feel—you hear the collaboration once, and that’s it. Like capturing a special moment that can’t be recreated ever again. That said, a lot of MIMiNARI’s previously released singles will be making their way onto their upcoming first full album, freq, set to drop this month. With a whopping eighteen tracks (twenty for the limited edition), it’s a pretty stacked release. I’ll hold off on passing judgment for now, though I took a peek at the lineup for the album’s four original tracks, and let’s just say I was stoked to see who they’ve brought in this time.
freq is set to come out on March 26, 2025.
That’s gonna do it for the J-Music Advance Party for March!
Here’s a quick recap of all the releases featured for this month:
Which release are you most excited for this month? Likewise, which bands and artists are you looking to listen these next couple of weeks? Let me know all of that down in the comments!
Before I let you guys go, just a quick heads-up to those who didn’t know—I’m actually part of CD Japan’s affiliate program! So if you’re planning to purchase or pre-order a physical copy of any of these albums listed below, I’d really appreciate it if you used my CD Japan affiliate links 😁
The next Advance Party is gonna be on April 6, 2025 Are you looking forward to any releases next month? Check back here to see if they get featured!