3 of the best JRock songs from June

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Summer is a fleeting thing here in the UK. Though we may have already used up our allotted five days of warm weather, things are still plenty hot in the world of JRock. There are lots of new songs getting dropped on our laps, plus some tracks that snuck under my radar when they were released that deserve a second look.

Looking for these tracks and many more? Be sure to check out the Rice Digital Spotify Playlist for even more JRock to keep you moving, even if the weather doesn’t play nice.

Ohitorisama by AIMI

Ohitorisama was originally released back in December 2021, but AIMI decided to revisit the track a few weeks ago with a new updated English version. As you can probably guess from my previous write-up about her work in Stereopony, I remain a big fan of AIMI. Few vocalists can pull off both a delicate pop song and a powerful JRock track quite as well as she can.

This track is a fun mix of both. It doesn’t have the sheer power that we’ve heard from AIMI’s voice in the past but it does showcase some of the best vocal control we’ve seen from her in years. Plus, the lyric video, as simple as it is, shows her having a bit of fun behind the microphone. When the artist is enjoying themselves, it comes across in the song and this one proves that to be true.

Dainamaito by Superfly

There is never a shortage of new JRock artists to catch up on. Superfly is an artist that I didn’t notice for years until this track found its way onto my Spotify playlist. The band, which originally consisted of guitarist Kōichi Tabo and vocalist Shiho Ochi but now is just Ochi at the reins, has had a string of number one albums to their credit, so I’m surprised it took me this long to find out about them.

Ochi has an incredible voice, and it is on full display in this track. Dainamaito has a fantastic mixture of funk, rock, and pop blended into a high-energy track that urges you to move. It is a showy and dramatic song, especially when the horn section takes over at around the two-minute mark in the video. This might be the best track of the summer, guaranteed to pick you up no matter what the weather outside is doing.

hide and seek by Polkadot Stingray

I always have space on my playlist for more Polkadot Stingray. Every track they put out delivers in an almost magical way. Lead singer Shizuku’s vocals are always effortlessly cool, hitting difficult notes without sounding like she is even trying. I also love listening to Ejima’s work on guitar, which has a classic funk feel to balance out the JRock roots of the band. Together, they create a wonderful mix that is distinct to Polkadot Stingray. No one else in JRock sounds quite like them.

This band always has something different up its sleeve with their music, and hide and seek is no different. It feels like it meanders through genres, but in a way that comes across as an intentional journey rather than an unfocused or unclear track. There are moments when it sounds relaxed and very pop, only to delve into an experimental explosion of sound that catches you off guard. Then it is back into the pop sound as though the interlude never happened. Every track Polkadot Stingray produce is different yet unmistakably theirs.

Got more music that we’ve not picked up? Let us know through the Rice Digital Friday Letters page!

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