We’re kicking off the latter half of 2024 with a new playlist of Japanese artists to wrap your ears around this month. Our August playlist sees new beginnings from up-and-comer Salasa as well as the end of a chapter for math rock icons toe. On top of that, some exciting collabs from Nene, Young Coco, Creepy Nuts and Dua Lipa will see you right into Autumn. Check out our full playlist here and read up on some of our artists to keep an eye on for the remainder of the summer. 

toe – LONELINESS WILL SHINE

Post-rock fans are in high spirits with a new release from Toe. One of Tokyo’s most iconic rock bands, they’re a regular fixture on Japanese festival lineups and have expanded their reach internationally over the last 24 years despite their relatively sparse level of output. The new album entitled NOW I SEE THE LIGHT is their first full-length release in almost exactly nine years and seems to act as a bookend to the nearly two-and-a-half decades of work that has preceded it. Described by their record label as “a bridge between the experimental restraint of their later work and the explosive abandon of their earlier output,” the long-awaited album has a bit of everything that fans have come to love and expect from the Tokyo-based quartet. The single, “LONELINESS WILL SHINE,” sees acoustic guitarist Hirokazu croon over busy backbeats and meditative guitar lines in an illustrative outing for the quartet. 

salasa – Shukufuku

Blues, rock and pop artist Salasa has come a long way since we last wrote about her in December 2022. Coming off the back of a sold-out headline show at Shibuya’s WWX late last year and a performance at July’s Fuji Rock festival, the artist is set to release her sophomore album later this month. The highly-anticipated lead single “Shukufuku” (Blessing) is already capturing attention for its divergence from Salasa’s earlier, more blues-oriented sound but receiving high praise from fans and music outlets alike. This year, the artist is set to embark on her first multi-date tour of Japan, and she has a reputation for selling out shows, so be sure to keep an eye out for tickets. 

the hatch – POSTPuNK? 

Rock fans have even more to look forward to later this year, with a new release from The Hatch foreshadowing a full-length release. Originally from Sapporo, the quartet has been making a name for themselves in Tokyo’s club and livehouse scenes for the past few years, getting things rolling with the release of their debut album, OpaqueAge, in 2018. Their sophomore album shape of raw to come (any Refused fans out there?) helped kick things into gear, heading on an extended domestic tour and joining the likes of Gezan, んoon, SMTK and yahyel on event lineups around Tokyo. The new single POSTPuNK? sees the band further mature their sound, foregoing the frenetic craziness of their earlier releases in favor of restrained technicality and darker, heavier overtones. 

Dua Lipa, Creepy Nuts – Illusion

Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts continued their run of success last month with a huge collab with Dua Lipa. The new track, a remix of the pop artist’s single “Illusion,” capitalizes on the success of the duo’s January release “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born,” which topped the Billboard Japan Hot 100 for eight weeks and reached number eight on the Billboard Global 200 charts. Catching wind of the track, Dua Lipa reached out to DJ Matsunaga and MC R-Shitei to remix “Illusion,” which had already enjoyed its own success, topping the US dance chart and ranking in the top 10 of the UK singles chart. The remix puts a faster spin on the original, with a driving beat from DJ Matsunaga and wittily referential verses from R-Shitei. Creepy Nuts will be performing live all throughout August including festival performances at Rock in Japan and Summer Sonic.