Kobe-based solo project Garbage Garden has unleashed an absolute tempest of a single, "busy. being. Real." Drawing profoundly on Japan’s "Lost Generation" and the heavy psychological toll of navigating a rigidly hyper-efficient world, this new release is an abrasive jolt to the nervous system. https://open.spotify.com/track/68L3xHjofvZzyl1PT6gspO?si=64dd4dbb738f41f2 Garbage Garden continually wraps deep trauma exploring everything from emotional neglect to natural disasters in glaringly bright, video-game-esque textures. The result...

Sam Ostler’s new single, “Lights,” then. It unfolds less like a sudden, intrusive glare and more like the slow, determined burn of a really good stage light finally finding its mark after a prolonged blackout. It’s pop, yes, vibrant and undeniably contemporary as advertised – clean lines, clear intentions. Yet, there’s a certain satisfying heft beneath the melodic uplift, a feeling that these notes...