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tomodchis · 2 months

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07 27 ‘23 ( ✴︎ ) ‎ ، ‎ after lucky hour is the debut mini album of south korean co-ed group dachi. title track bim bam bum is a refreshing love letter to fans of the all-too-known cute concept, while also bringing something new to the table.

the album ‎ ‎ ‎ ıllı ‎ ‎[ 🌈 ] ‎♪ ҉

bim bam bum would be released a whopping nine months after lucky hour ended, marking confusion from viewers. the show didn’t do terribly — seoyi got first place with 200 000 points and 130 000 votes, in fact — so what’s with the holdup? radio silence continued until mystic story announced their debut date on june 30th. fans complained to the company about wait time, but no statement has been made up to this point.

teaser rollout began almost immediately afterwards. it was all mainly group photos, save for short teaser videos that obscured the member’s faces like it wasn’t public information, but the reactions were mostly positive. despite the obvious connection in motifs and music score throughout the teasers — same background tune, similar dark hallways, replicated props — the videos seemed different in every single way. it would set the scene for the intro to dachi’s universe, (tomo)rrow.

the music video for bim bam bum, for lack of a better word, popped off the screen. every scene was a vibrant clash of textures and colours. locations from the individual teaser videos were all used: a flower garden, a corner store, a shopping mall, an abandoned outdoor pool, a candy diner. multiple forms of media were used as well, including water colour artwork, stop motion animation, and little cartoon avatars cutefully named the neighbourhood friends.

bim bam bum became an inspiration for graphic designers, artists, and editors, with multiple trends coming out of the music video alone. this includes: editing your favourite character to the final chorus in a mograph-type style, creating templates based off of each mv location, and drawing the neighbourhood friends beside a character with a completely different aesthetic, like vincent valentine from ffvii.

despite the overwhelming positivity from the general public, dachi was met with intense hatred from kpop fans and obsessed akgaes. a burst in popularity came stalking, bitter comments about eun ‘breathing too hard into the mic’ despite performing live during every single performance, called a ‘quick cash grab by mystic story’, penchants for commenting on their looks for no reason, etc. they were compared to a multitude of other groups including itzy, weki meki, and nct dream, supposedly for having overlapping concepts. mystic story barely moved to protect dachi, only dishing out a statement after the promotional period passed.

speaking of the promotional period, dachi managed to bag one win during three weeks of music show stages. the now-beloved bside passionfruit was also promoted alongside bim bam bum, but didn’t earn a win. being up against big names definitely hindered awards they could have gotten, but one is better than none.

overall, the album itself was a massive success. they solidified their role in the industry right at the beginning of their careers in dachi. whether you love them or hate them, bim bam bum will find its way to your playlist.

tracklist ‎ ‎ ‎ ıllı ‎ ‎[ 💿 ] ‎♪ ҉

→ 01. . . bim bam bum

daring, colourful, cute. pushed against the boundary of trends and created something new. reminiscent of 3rd gen girl groups.

02. . . blue orangeade

funky, cool, bright. best played during a long drive. highlighted the foolish nature of dachi.

03. . . like i do

sophisticated, fancy, bouncy. explored the synth aspect of dachi’s discography. certified deep-cut with exactly 8 fans.

04. . . passionfruit

chill, groovy, addictive. sounds like how it feels to drink iced tea. suits any type of weather.

05. . . skateboard

happy, breezy, calming. some real heavenly vocal moments from jeyeol. brought back real kpop excellency.

06. . . bahama

beachy, sweet, easy-listening. a song you can let play and always enjoy. perfect outro track.

styling ‎ ‎ ‎ ıllı ‎ ‎[ 👒 ] ‎♪ ҉

the styling for this era was divided into two parts: the flowery costumes (top row) and the candy costumes (bottom row).

the flowery costumes strayed the furthest from the original concept, diving straight into floral and natural aesthetics. the members were caked in makeup at all times, trying to balance the weight of heavy accessories and keeping a smile on their faces. chorong mentioned during an interview that the process of putting everything on was 3 hours for one music show, which she never wants to go through ever again. while the outfits were gorgeous paired with the stunning stage sets, it was a behind-the-scenes disaster.

the candy costumes are a fan favourite for many obvious reasons. not only do the outfits fit the album, but were much more comfortable. the 2000s influence directly mirrors the nostalgic feel of bim bam bum. they all wore tank-tops, graphic tees, baggy jeans, thick belts, and combat boots. some of the girls wore long dresses, thigh-highs, and skirts. each makeup look wasn’t even makeup, just charms stuck to their faces in a pattern. seoyi went viral for her butterfly charm look, and suddenly half the industry followed in her steps.

fashion team director choi narim explained why there was such a large duality, “dachi has been a sensation even before this satisfying debut. i knew they would be stars when i looked at the four of them. i thought to myself they must stand out from the rest, and i’ve succeeded, seeing all this media attention. big risks can mean even bigger victory in the world of entertainment.”

era notes ‎ ‎ ‎ ıllı ‎ ‎[ 🗒️ ] ‎♪ ҉

the era was almost-ruined by weirdos, yet pockets had an absolute blast. posts going viral left and right, unique lineup gaining traction, lucky hour fans coming back after their fav was eliminated, it was fun!!! too bad they had a part time job in blocking accounts

the birth of the first official solo stans… who else cried. ot4 pockets desperately tried defending the members from Everybody. multiple ppl were wrongfully accused of being akgaes, the largest account dedicated to lucky hour was exposed for being an eun anti…

the members were sooooo stressed out. especially seoyi, whose sudden leap into fame caused anxiety

their teaser videos were kind of a Hot Mess but made sense when the chaotic mv for bim bam bum came out

u already know a japanese artist drew gojo with the neighbourhood friends, spiking interest from anime fans. it’s hard to say if they actually tuned in, but promo is promo

dachi’s labelmates billlie also made an appearance. everyone filmed a tiktok dancing to passionfruit on billlie’s account, and pockets and belllie’ves thought the interaction between moon sua and eun was so adorable. eun was barely in frame, but moon sua guided her in, which caused eun to smile and bury her face in her hands

the music video for bim bam bum racked up 9.5 million views within the first week, shocking the fandom

seoyi was the very obvious star of the show. a different article about her would come out every day, talking about something so mundane like sleeping habits that she forgot she even said it. every camera pointed to her as she walked. she truly became the face of kpop for a good three weeks

impossible for all four of them to Not serve cunt. it’s almost contagious

jeyeol and chorong wrote bahama + eun and seoyi helped produce some parts of like i do!!! truly a talented group

after lucky hour is recognized as one of the most cohesive eps from 2023, with a pitchfork review of 8.2

#— 𓈒 ݁ ₊ post. . .#fictional idol community #fictional kpop idol #idol oc #idolverse #kpop oc #fictional idol group

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leetaehwan · 8 months

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KASS CAFÉ FEATURED MENU TOP 20 TITLE TRACKS OF 2023 insp: x, x | cr: flaticon

tagged by my beloved @xiaojuun 💕

*walking in late with an iced coffee* hii welcome to kass café ! home of my top picks of the year! here are 20 of my favorite title tracks, singles, and pre-releases from 2023, loosely organized by Vibe™️ and paired with some of my favorite coffee shop drinks. come by if you like and share a tune and a fun little beverage with me ! hot and caffeine free options also available 😊

in no particular order: PERFUME - NCT DOJAEJUNG / SPICY - AESPA / CREAM SODA - EXO / MOVE - TREASURE (T5) / SUPER - SEVENTEEN / PERFORMER - VANNER / FACT CHECK - NCT 127 / S-CLASS - STRAY KIDS / LOVE WAR - YENA / SWEET JUICE - PURPLE KISS / CHILL KILL - RED VELVET / ROVER - KAI / GOLDEN HOUR - MARK LEE / FIGHTING - BSS / HANA - INI / GROOVY - CRAVITY / KICK IT 4 NOW - TNX / MEMORIES - RIIZE / LIP GLOSS - THE BOYZ / SUGAR RUSH RIDE - TOMORROW X TOGETHER

i'm definitely one of the last people to do this so i won't tag anybody but if you see this and wanna share consider this ur tag! :)

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nayeonline · 5 months

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Ari's K-Pop Roundup: April 2024 (NewJeans, IVE, RIIZE, KISS OF LIFE, ARTMS, LOOSSEMBLE, BABYMONSTER + MORE)

check out last months installment here :)

Bubble Gum - NewJeans

With HYBE collapsing in on itself and ADOR being the epicentre of the explosion, a part of me was a little afraid that NewJeans' comeback would take a hit in the quality department. From the first bars of 'Bubblegum' I knew I had been worried for no reason.

'Bubblegum' is an early 2000s synth fueled record with an edge of 80s Japanese citypop. It's groovy, simplistic, and effortless in execution, and while it isn't necessarily an innovation in NewJeans' notoriously trend-setting discography, it's still a welcome addition that capitalizes on the members vocal tones and the group's style beautifully.

The music video is gorgeous, as usual, with it taking notes from the raw, realistic nature of 'Ditto' and the colour-pop confidence of 'Hype Boy'. Danielle looked especially gorgeous in her natural curls, and Hanni's sharp bob is so striking - she looks like an anime heroine, and I love it.

I know we've all heard the phrase 'I think I just made the song of the summer' a little too much these past few years, but I am of the opinion that NewJeans has successfully achieved it with 'Bubblegum' - it's been a whirlwind year so far for me, and something easygoing and chill like this is exactly the energy I will be bringing into the hotter months.

Even though they have made ripples in the kpop industry, it seems nobody can do it quite like NewJeans.

해야 (HEYA) - IVE (IVE SWITCH)

note: i will be covering the rest of the mini album when the m/v for 'accendio' is released next month, so stay tuned :)

Coming off of the mildly contrived 'Baddie' and the shockingly beautiful 'Off The Record' from 2023's 'I'VE MINE' EP, I wasn't sure where I was going to stand with IVE's comeback. Once again, I was pleasantly surprised.

'Heya' is a track with a chorus melody that makes such perfect sense that you are left amazed that nobody has thought of it before - its so easily catchy, and being 100% real, it's been stuck in my head since the m/v teaser. The construction of this song is honestly very impressive (Dem Jointz is the arranger so this is unsurprising), every vocal or instrumental motif pokes it's head in and reappears in an effortlessly perfect way, even the raps aren't jarring, a pitfall many a kpop track have fallen down before.

Functionally, this song is the perfect response to 'Baddie': that playful edge they centred in on in that track is still present here, but IVE have returned back to home base a little more and drawn from that elegant, untouchable concept they built in their iconic debut trilogy. 'Heya' understands the elements that saved 'Baddie' from succumbing to unlistenability, and knows how to use them redirect back to the right track without discarding the lessons learnt entirely.

While I don't think this song has reached 'After LIKE' or 'Love Dive' levels of perfection for me, it's still a super fun song for IVE, and absolutely a step in the right direction.

(final note: does anyone else feel like this song samples 'flashing lights' by kanye west?? does anyone else hear this? like at 45 seconds?? maybe im slowly going insane idk)

Midas Touch - KISS OF LIFE

(check out my breakdown of the historical allusions in the mv here)

Kiss Of Life seems to just know exactly what they are doing, and the music is just getting better and better. The Britney edge and old SNSD flair on this track is right up my street, and all the members just give their all on this song, their talent is so consistently clear.

Their seemingly exponential growth in popularity and success from debut is so well deserved, they are truly setting the standard for the quality of music of the 5th generation; they are proving with every release that kpop does have more to offer, there is more innovation to be made.

My grievances at this release being a single album aside, this was a perfect comeback in my opinion. Congratulations Kiof for graduating nugudom, I can't wait to see what you do next.

Impossible + 9 Days + One Kiss - RIIZE

And just when I thought I would never enjoy a boy group release again, RIIZE dropped 'Impossible'. The audacity to release something as fucking amazing as this like 3 months after 'Love 119' (which i controversially loved)??? Insane.

This track marks SM's latest addition to their arsenal of iconic house bangers, 'Impossible' revitalizes everything that made Shinee's 'View' and f(x)'s '4 Walls' so good for the 2024 music scene. It has that late night BBC Radio 1/love island pop edge to it that I have been yapping about for months, and I am so obsessed. This is how to compete with Somi's 'Fast Forward' for the most british sounding kpop song.

'One Kiss' is a sonic sequel to 'Love 119' - I am just so obsessed with how much they sound like an early 2000s western boy group on tracks like this, they just exude NSYNC energy. '9 Days' is another laidback pop hit, with a little more energy and longevity than 'One Kiss'. The sound of 2024's summer in kpop has clearly been established, and I for one am in favour.

RIIZE being the first boy group to last more than two comebacks on my stan list is really something I didn't see coming, but it's a welcome change.

SHEESH - BABYMONSTER (BABYMONS7ER)

I think babymonster may start to be delegated to the mini review section of these monthly reviews, because I am genuinely struggling to find something likeable within this song. 'Batter Up' at least had a danceability to it, even if it was highly derivative, but 'Sheesh' is just so predictable to me. Even the switch up from the standard YG party final chorus felt formulaic somehow, and the mini album wasn't much better.

Ahyeon is back though, and she proved once and for all that she is absolutely a necessary part of the group - her rap was easily the song's highlight. The performances from this era were genuinely excellent considering what they were working with.

I don't like being a stuck record with groups I just will never enjoy, so I apologize, but discussions around their future releases will be limited going forward, unless they drop something that I actually enjoy.

Pre2: Flower Rhythm + Pre3: Candy Crush- ARTMS (Dall)

There is something about modhaus production that just works for me, and the interpolation of Heejin's 'Algorithm' on 'Flower Rhythm' is a really exciting choice. The verses, post-chorus and bridge are very strong in my opinion, but the chorus itself seems to get a little lost in the sauce. I can see that chorus growing on me however, and the rest of the song is highly enjoyable, very evocative of the yyxy sub-unit.

Haseul's 'Plastic Candy' is one of my favourites from the ARTMS girls' releases, and with it's interpolation in 'Candy Crush' means I am predisposed to be obsessed with this song. It's a little jazzy, a little citypop, and it's the perfect late night summer vibe. This is easily my favourite of the pre releases so far, but the sheer array of styles the girls have demonstrated makes me very excited to see where they go for the title track.

Girls' Night - Loossemble (One Of A Kind)

LOOSEMBLE AND ARTMS RELEASES IN ONE MONTH??? WE WON

Loossemble's 'Sensitive' was pure pop perfection, and the album was just as impressive, so going into 'One Of A Kind' and its title 'Girls' Night' I just knew they were going to deliver.

'Girls' Night' is a classic LOONA type track, a total kaleidoscope of sonic innovation, and it stuns throughout its 3:24 runtime (we love long songs). My girl Yeojin got PINK HAIR, Vivi got a lore update, and Gowon unlocked her irish ancestry - overall a 10/10 in the visuals department. The rest of the album is an actual masterpiece; 'Moonlight' is a banger that caught me off guard by how good it is, 'Boomerang' has an addictive almost hyperpop edge - it's very evocative of Yeppi Yeppi by aespa, or even Paradisin' by Rina Sawayama. 'He Said I Said' plays it a little too safe in the production department in my opinion, and it comes off a slightly childish for them - it's a perfectly enjoyable song, but probably the weakest on the album. 'Truman Show' brings in a more acoustic sound, which builds with the synth to create a truly cinematic feel - it has a ballad vibe, but keeps it on the upbeat side, so if kpop ballads aren't your thing, you still might enjoy this one. 'Starlight' is a perfect album closer, and although it will never be my favourite LOONA song with 'Star' in the title, it's a really beautiful song. This was a really successful album for them, and I can't wait to see what else they bring to the industry.

MINI REVIEWS:

SPOT! - ZICO feat. JENNIE: I was fully prepared to lie and act like this was a masterpiece before I listened because it has my queen jennie in it, but when I actually heard it I was pleasantly surprised with an absolute certified banger. This has that TripleH - 365 Fresh energy that I love, and Jennie's amazing vocals have made me so excited for what shes going to do with her solo work at odd atelier :)

Could It Be + Freak - YUQI ((G)-IDLE): I've never been a huge (G)-IDLE fan, so 'Freak' really wasn't my vibe, but 'Could It Be' had a Sunmi-esque edge that draws me in somehow. Having heard a snippet on TikTok, I also listened to the b-side 'Red Rover', and it's a real standout, make sure to give this one a listen if you only heard 'Freak'.

Blush - woo!ah!: i am in denial thay the official group name is now WOOAH, why are we erasing herstory?? Anyway, 'Blush' really blew me away - this song is so fun, every second is packed with memorable melodies and beautiful production, and that post chorus??? a killer!! SO underrated, if you haven't checked out this song yet this month, be sure to, it's an underrated song that I can see making it high in my yearly ranking.

고민중독 - QWER: Sapphic themes?? in a kpop music video??? with a girl BAND??? yoasobi vibes??? of course i was going to love it! I had never really heard of QWER before this month, but this song is such a banger and the pop rock sound is immaculate - ( @a-moth-to-the-light this feels very much up your street) I will 100% be checking out their discography, and I can easily see these girls making a home on my stan list, this track is truly amazing.

Final Love Song - I-LAND2 Contestants with ROSÉ: This is the kind of kpop song that makes me understand why this genre is so bullied. What are we doing. Rosé sounded good I guess. Moving on.

IMMM - ILY:1: Such an unexpected groovy sound - big Momoland energy. Pretty much everyone is eating up these April releases, even the nugu girlies are bringing it more than usual. I'm slightly worried about the lack of music video or promotions, but this song is really fun, so please go stream and show ILY:1 some love :)

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roses-dreams-andthorns · 2 years

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I am incredibly obsessed with Octatrio and completely blinded by their charm from their red flags…

can i request please octatrio came to ramshackle just to visit but suddenly they heard reader sing I guess I’m in love and they felt the sadness of the tone reader sing made them concerned and surprised reader hold picture of them 🫣

IM SORRY IF THIS TOO MUCH YOU CAN IGNORE IT SHSBSJSNS

the song got me so flustered when i stare at octatrio fanart and groovy card 😭

Trey just listened to that song and I- its so cute-

GN! Reader (any pronouns, they/them used)

Floyd

Oh dear... silly little Floyd... As soon as he walks into Ramshackle, he just hears your glorious voice, the lyrics saddening, throwing him into a mood swing and making him worried and sad... what happened to little shrimpy? Did someone hurt them? Why are they sad? He was desperate to find out, and give you a big sqeeze to cheer you up, until he gets into your room... and sees a picture of him and you in your hand while you sing.

"And why do I get so nervous when I look into your eyes? Butterflies can't stop me falling for you." you sang, staring at the picture, and so cue another mood swing, and now Floyd is in a silly mood again with a big mixture of happy and giddy, he can't contain it anymore, so he runs up behind you and gives you a big squeeze, causing you to jump slightly.

"Shrimpy!! I didn't know you liked me that much!! Hehehehehe!" he laughs, smiling at you with his classic sharp-toothed grin, making you blush slightly...

"Uhhh, y-yeah uhm.... how long were you there?" you ask him, embarrassed you were caught.

"Eh, I just got here a minute ago! Your voice is so pretty shrimpy... but you had me worried.... I thought someone hurt you..." he sighed, looking sad. Instantly making you feel guilty.

"I'm sorry..." you say regretfully, but then he hugs you again.

"Hehehe, it's okay, shrimpy! Let's go out together sometime!"

Jade

A beautiful voice you have... how sorrowful you sound, how sweet you look with that picture of him in your hand... He was initally worried when he first came in and heard you singing such a sorrowful song, but as soon as he saw you with the picture of him, he knew what was going on... You're in love with him, aren't you? He is not far too surprised, he has seen the way you look at him, even the slightest stare from you tells him loads, how you instantly turn your head quickly as soon as he acknowledges your staring...

"But I know now I've found the one I love..." you sang, you voice ringing in his ears like his favorite tune, he wishes not to interupt, but he must make his presence known sooner or later...

"A glorious voice you have, darling." he says as he approaches you, making you instantly turn your head back to look at him.

"Eh? J-Jade??? How long have you been there??" you ask, panicked.

"Oh, a little while, I didn't wish to interupt your glorious voice, but...." He leans closer to you, a sly grin plastering his face. "I couldn't wait to tell you how much I loved you..."

Your face turns a bright red, Jade chuckles, "Besides that, my darling, could you continue? Your song was lovely, I want to hear more."

Azul

He was rather confused... who hurt you? must he send the tweels after them? or should he teach them a lesson himself? Until he realized you were singing just to sing, and you were holding a photo of him that you had taken not too long ago, that be was gracious enough to smile for. His face lit up in blush, he was unsure of what to do or say... he liked you as well, obviously, but he was at a loss for words! Had he known you had already liked him, he probably would've been more prepared and chill about this... but he was too oblivious to see the signs, I suppose...

"And Darling this is more than anything I felt before, you're everything that I want, but I didn't think I'd find someone who is worth the wait of all the years of my heartbreak, but I know now I found the one." you sang, your voice stuck in his head as he panicked, what would he say when you finally noticed he was there? What would you say to him?

He tried his best to calm himself down until he heard you get closer...

"But now I know I've found the one I love..." you sang into his ear, making him basically explode, his face all red from embarrassment, you chuckled at his reaction as he was still at a loss for words, struggling to get even one word out of his mouth, he couldn't say it right now... but he loved you too.

(Trey is slowly but surely beginning to love Azul)

#twisted wonderland #disney twst #azul ashengrotto x reader #azul ashengrotto #floyd leech x reader #floyd leech #jade leech x reader #jade leech #octotrio

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total-drama-takes-takes-2 · 11 months

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ttwt episode 1 - part 2

“Last time, on Total Takes World Tour: seventeen teens sat down and buckled up for an all-expenses paid trip around the globe! It’s kind of like a cruise… with the chance to win a cash prize of one million dollars! After busting some mandatory groovy tunes, we flew our crew down to Teotihuacan in Mexico, where they traversed the mysterious tunnels located beneath the world-famous Pyramid of the Sun. And that’s where we are now- who will sing? Who will sink? Find out now, on Total Takes World Tour!”

“OMGGGG, is the mat blue for boy love?!” Mal screeches as Team Yaoi walks over to their designated starting point for the next leg of the challenge.

“I think the blue is symbolic of the color you’ll be after I’m done beating you to death over the team name,” Ass snaps, crossing their arms. “Team Yaoi… ugh.”

Their eyes drift over to Team Friendship, hovering over a lovely lavender rug, and Team Mojo with an orange.

“Do you think Joner’s okay over there?” Sha-Mod asks, holding a hand over his face to shield Lightning’s eyes from the non-existant sun.

Joner is sitting on the ground while Julia, Ass, and Mal argue, rocking back and forth in the fetal position. Patrick grumbles to himself. “He’ll live,”

He sighs, his shoulders sagging. “Man, I just miss McLovin,”

Michela goes on, offering an encouraging pat on Sha-Mod’s shoulder. “Max and I got separated, too.”

“You’ve got me, if anything,” Albert says. Michela shrugs, but smiles anyway.

From the lavender rug, Max watches the interaction and grumbles to himself. Kelly and Staci are busy playing with a fortune teller they made out of one of the napkins from the galley, and Scruffy is trying to convince Phillip that no one hates him.

“Dude, you look like you’re going to pop a blood vessel,” Bonnie notes, looking up from their flaking nail polish with a raised eyebrow.

“There’s something off about him,” Max says. “I can’t figure out what it is yet, but I will.”

They roll their eyes from behind him. “You’re jealous. It's normal,”

“I am not,”

“Calm down. We’ve all been there,”

Max turns around with a contemplative expression. “Have you?”

Bonnie looks away and stutters, but luckily Chris interrupts just in time. “I hope you’re all enjoying the cold, cause it’s about to get HOT!” he chuckles at his own reference, ignoring the confused looks from the cast. “Mexico is known for having alotta active volcanoes, dudes- and you’re about to get up close and personal with your next stop- Popocatepetl!”

The teens glance between each other nervously. “And you’ll be taking these shiny obsidian artifacts with you. Last team to make it up the mountain is up for elimination! So you dudes better get a move on- it’s a day’s walk from here, haha. See ya!”

And with that, the host walks off.

“We’ve gotta find some other method of transportation,” Courtney says confidently, scratching their chin. “Does anyone have any money?”

“We all left ours on the plane,” Ass rolls their eyes. “How are we going to get a ride without cash?”

Joner sits at the edge of the group, looking out in the distance while the team argues behind him. A tour bus pulls up across the ancient city and he blinks. “Hey, guys?”

The four ignore him and continue bickering. “Guyyyys?”

“A little busy, Joner!” Courtney shouts back.

“Guys!”

“WHAT!” Julia and Ass shout in unison.

Joner points over the city to the bus.

---

Team Friendship stands along the side of a highway, holding up thumbs and waiting.

“We’ve been here for hours,” Bonnie sighs. “No one’s going to pick us up.”

“Can’t you flag someone down? I mean… not to assume anything, but you speak Spanish, right?” Scruffy asks. Bonnie looks away.

---

BONNIE: “I can say “hello” and “where is the bathroom” but fluency? Forget it,”

---

“Guys, look what we found!” Staci’s voice rings out.

The team turns to see Kelly and Staci returning to the group, leading a donkey behind them.

“Um,” Max says. “Who’d you steal that from?”

“We just found him wandering around on his own,” Kelly says, patting the animal’s hide. “No one likes being alone. Can we keep him?”

Scruffy and Bonnie look between each other.

---

“Well. This is certainly taking the cake for the most embarrassing moment of my life,” Max says, sitting atop Bonnie’s shoulders as the entire team balances on the mule.

“Better than walking,” Scruffy huffs, Kelly in their lap and Staci awkwardly angled behind them.

“Is it?”

“At least you’re not in the back,” Phillip sighs, waving his hand in front of his nose.

---

Team Mojo walks through a thick forest, everyone both shivering from the cold and sweating from the humidity. Austin keeps stopping every few moments to take selfies with the local flora.

Michela and Albert hang at the back of the group, Patrick just steps ahead of them. He sighs dramatically, then announces “I’m getting tired. Someone carry me,” before falling back. Michela and Albert step out of the way and he falls on the forest floor with a thump.

“Well, this is miserable,” Michela sighs. “I mean, no offense to you guys, but we’re kind of a lousy team.”

“No offense taken,” Sha-Mod says, placing a hand over his heart. “I just know things would be different if the Takes Three boys were together again!”

“The what?” Albert asks.

Michela sighs and grumbles. “It’s their band,”

“The best band!”

“Oh, neat. What kind of music do you do?” Albert goes on.

“Please don’t entertain him,” she says, but it’s too late.

“We mostly do rap-swing-darkwave, but we’ve been experimenting with reggae-classical with an eastern influence,” Sha-Mod says. “Our Christmas album is coming out in December. You should pre-order before it’s sold out!”

“Sounds bad,” Frollo comments from up ahead, not even bothering to turn around. "An affront to Christmas."

“It’s pretty good!”

“I don’t believe that,”

The ground suddenly starts shaking, and a deep rumbling sound comes from within the earth. The team ducks and covers while the forest foliage sways above them. “Told you!” Frollo shouts.

A faint dinging noise catches everyone’s attention. Chris’ voice seems to come out of nowhere- “Looks like the Aztec fire god is not happy,” he chuckles. His tone is taunting, and very aggravating. “Why don’t you sing him a little song to soothe him? And also prevent that volcano from exploding?”

“You guys can’t do that, right?” Sha-Mod asks nervously.

“No promises, dude,” and then he disappears.

“This blows,” Michela sighs, then takes a deep breath. “No need to blow up, it’s winter time at last!”

Sha-Mod, Albert, and Patrick join in. “You shouldn’t burn us up,”

“Or turn us into ash!” Austin says. “Yeah, baby!”

Across the forest, Team Friendship nervously looks between each other as the earth trembles. “It’s volcanic winter time,” Bonnie says, eyes wide.

“So don't blow your top!” Max yelps as the tremors make the trees around them sway.

“Just ignore us mortals!” Phillip adds on.

Scruffy opens their mouth to sing but the Donkey rears and squishes them between Staci and Kelly, who shout out. “Don’t let the good times stop!”

---

“It’s winter time,” Courtney sings as the entirety of Team Yaoi is crammed in a tight tourist bus.

“Winter time, winter time!” Mal and Julia sing along.

Joner picks up in a perfectly toned voice. “It’s volcanic winter season!”

“It’s winter time,” Ass grumbles.

Courtney and Julia pick up the chorus. “Winter time, winter time…”

---

“Lord, save us now,” Frollo sing-speaks loudly.

“It’s winter time, winter time, winter time…” Michela and Albert harmonize as the team creeps through the forest.

Austin shouts the next verse. “Volcanic winter season!”

---

“It’s winter time, winter time, winter time…” Kelly, Staci, and Bonnie harmonize.

“Volcanic winter season!” Max finishes off the song.

Scruffy opens their mouth again, but they’re interrupted by the sound of trembling and the sight of a large plume of smoke close by.

“We’re here!” Bonnie shouts. Scruffy sighs and sulks.

Chris is sitting at the base of the volcano, lounging on a lawn chair and catching non-existent rays with a foil reflector. He sips from a drink and grins. “First team at the base! Better hurry, though- that volcano is about to blow!”

The tourist bus turns up next, and an exasperated Team Yaoi runs out. Chris opens his mouth to make some witty remark, but Julia interrupts with a shout. “What’s next!?”

“Geez, chill out,” he chuckles, lying back on his chair. “Your next part of the challenge is drawn from ancient Aztec tradition- a sacrifice to the fire god, Xiuhtecuhtli! Unfortunately, our lame attorneys say we can’t do a human or animal sacrifice, so we’ll be using your obsidian artifacts.”

The teams look between each other. Scruffy holds up the necklace they’d snatched, while Mal plays with her blade before putting it in her back pocket.

The earth rumbles again and Chris grins, flipping down a pair of shades. “Better hurry! It’s a steep hike!”

The two teams set off just as Team Mojo comes running up, everyone exhausted and out of breath. Sha-Mod collapses as soon as they reach Chris, and the other members aren’t looking much better.

“Wow, roughed it all the way on foot, huh?” Chris grins, taking another sip from his drink.

Michela nods, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

“Well, better gear up to do some more. You’re in for quite the hike,” he chuckles. The team groans.

---

“I was going to give this to Jules, but if it’s for the game, I guess…” Scruffy thinks, holding out the necklace. “Well, I can get her something else, right?”

“Would you please. Shut. Up,” Max grumbles.

Bonnie raises a hand. “I second that,”

Scruffy looks away with a frown. After a few moments, former sighs. “What do you see in her, anyway? She’s a total pain,”

“Well… at first, I was just trailing her because she was the smartest player in the game. Besides yours truly,” Scruffy says, placing a hand over their heart. “But… behind all that rage and wit, she’s a good person. She does mean things out of necessity, but she feels bad about them, and when she’s not competing, she’s a real sweetheart. She’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Sometimes I think I’m the only person who sees that.”

“Hm,” Bonnie thinks aloud. “Well… I guess that’s kind of sweet. I still don’t see it, though.”

Scruffy shrugs and walks past Max, who has his fingers in his ears to block out the conversation.

---

Team Yaoi huffs and wheezes as they climb the mountainside, all exhausted from the smoke and the hike. Joner is practically dragging himself along at this point, crawling on his hands and knees.

“Don’t…” Courtney wheezes. “Give up… so… close…”

Finally, the group collapses at the mouth of the volcano, where Chris is waiting. “Long walk, huh?”

“How’d you get up here?” Ass points an accusatory finger at him from their resting place on the ground.

“Airlift. Get with the times, dude,” he rubs his hands together. “Alright, sacrifice time! Let’s see that artifact!”

Mal sighs and digs around in her pockets for a moment before her face goes blank. Courtney, Ass, and Julia look at her. “Mal…?” Julia starts.

“I-I’m sure I have it. I put it in my pocket at the base, I didn’t touch it!”

A few hundred feet down, a glint in the sun catches Bonnie’s eye. They turn to Max, who’s whistling and flipping a blade between his fingers.

Back at the top, Ass groans. “You dropped it! You idiot!”

“Someone has to go back and find it,” Courtney wheezes. “We can’t lose.”

“I’ll-I’ll go,” Joner stands before promptly collapsing again. “Or not.”

“I think Mal should go. She lost it,” Julia glares.

“I did not!”

“You did too!”

The group erupts into argument again and Joner covers his ears.

---

“How much longer?” Albert asks, coughing weakly.

“Long,” Michela responds.

“I’m tired. Someone carry me!” Patrick says again, falling backwards just for Michela and Albert to move apart and let him tumble down the side of the mountain on his back.

Frollo is up ahead, reading silently and apparently not breaking a sweat.

“How does he do that?” Sha-Mod whispers.

Austin shrugs. “I don’t know, but I’m starting to think I might be following the wrong religion, baby,”

---

Team Friendship treks on, panting and wheezing to themselves. Scruffy looks behind their shoulder for a second and catches a glimpse of Bonnie and Max.

“Where’d you get that?” they ask, eyes pointed towards the blade in Max’s hands.

“Found it,”

“Really?”

He shrugs. “Found it in Mal’s pocket?”

“Woahhh, nice one. Way to show the girly team!” Phillip says, holding up a hand for a high-five. Max just stares at him and he lowers it sadly.

The volcano rumbles again, making the team grab onto each other for support as a parade of rocks rains down on them. “Run!” Scruffy shouts, and the teens get to moving, dodging giant boulders as they move down the hill.

---

Chris looks exhausted as he watches Team Yaoi bicker on and on, pointing fingers and shouting at each other. Joner walks over and sits next to him, deep eye bags under his eyes.

“I can’t believe you live with this,” the host whispers loudly. Joner just sighs.

Seconds later, Team Friendship runs up the side of the hill, panting and gasping. “Yes! Yes, we made it!” Scruffy whoops. Kelly and Staci cheer while Max covers his ears again.

“Let’s hope you guys have your sacrifice,” Chris says. Scruffy holds out the necklace proudly, but hesitates when they see Julia.

“One thing first,” they say, jogging over to Max. They pick him up off the ground, hold him by the ankles and shake him until the blade falls from one of his pockets.

“Well, that’s one way to do it,” Bonnie says as Scruffy drops a very disoriented Max and runs to Team Yaoi with the blade. He presses it into Julia’s palms. “I think you guys lost this,”

For a second, her harsh glare melts and she smiles sincerely. “Thank you. But what about-”

“I can handle economy,” Scruffy shrugs. “You’re better than winning. Plus, Team Mojo is nowhere to be seen, and I’d rather let them take the fall.”

“Hey!” Max shouts from afar. "My girlfr-"

"Shut it!" Julia yells, and then nods gratefully and returns to Team Yaoi. Ass mumbles “About time,” and the five of them toss their artifact into the volcano.

“Team Yaoi has won the challenge! Finally!” Chris shouts. "First class for all of you!"

Scruffy beams and begins walking to the mouth of the volcano, just for the host to put an arm in their way, blocking the team. “Not so fast, compadre. You still have a musical number to perform,”

“What?” Scruffy blinks. “I-I mean, sure, but- now?”

“Now or elimination, bud!”

“But you let Cody from the original World Tour off the hook all the time!”

“What can I say? I’m a changed man. Let’s hear it!”

Scruffy stutters and stammers, caught off guard. Their team behind them goads them on, but it’s too late- within seconds, Team Mojo appears and Michela, obsidian figurine in hand, single-handedly throws a perfect long pass into the volcano.

“And with that, Team Mojo has avoided elimination!” Chris grins. “You know, on second thought, Scruffy- fair is fair. I’ll let you off the hook this time. See you at the elimination ceremony!”

They laugh nervously and turn to their unimpressed teammates.

---

Within the hulking metal frame of the plan, Chris stands before a flower paper background, atop a podium. Team Friendship is lined on a set of wooden bleachers against the wall, none looking too happy.

“Team Friendship, due to a marginal error, you came in last. So, it’s vote time! Up in the loser-class bathroom you’ll find six passports. Stamp the passport of the team member you’d like to send home, and meet me back here for your results,”

---

Phillip holds up a passport to the camera and stamps out Scruffy.

---

Max sighs and thinks aloud. “Scruffy is a capable player, but I can’t let them throw the win for some girl. I’d understand if it were Michela, but Julia?” He stamps out Scruffy.

---

Bonnie thinks for a moment, and then sighs and palms their forehead. They stamp out Phillip.

---

“I TRIED to sing. I keep telling everyone that- I’ve been waiting to sing for years!” Scruffy says. “I take lessons!” they sigh and stamp out Max.

---

Staci and Kelly giggle while using the ink from the stamp to draw smiley faces and flowers on each other’s shoulders.

---

“I’ve got the results of your votes right here. Those staying in the game will get in-flight snacks,” Chris holds up a bag of pretzels and then rolls his eyes as Scruffy makes a face. “What? Pretzels are cheaper right now!”

“The following players are safe- Kelly

Staci

Bonnie

And Max,”

The respective contestants catch their pretzels and look up.

“The last bag of pretzels… goes to…”

“Phillip. Sorry, Scruffy. You’re out!”

Scruffy sighs and their shoulders droop. Chris tosses them a parachute, which they put on with expert speed and professionalism.

“Been training for that too, huh?” Chris chuckles. They shrug.

Scruffy walks up to the open door of the plane and turns back. “Wait- Bonnie- I want you to give this to Jules!” they say, tossing Bonnie the necklace they never got to sacrifice. “Tell her I'm rooting for her!”

“Um... why me?” the goth asks, raising an eyebrow.

Scruffy smiles. “I think you get it more than anyone else,” and with that, they jump. Bonnie blinks.

---

BONNIE: “Okay, I had one heartfelt conversation on national TV and now everyone thinks I’m cupid or something?”

---

“Can’t win ‘em all, I guess,” Chris shrugs, then turns to the audience. “Who will win? And who will jump? Find out next time, on Total Takes: World Tour!”

#ttwt #total takes world tour

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noirandchocolate · 5 months

Note

:) If you have the time and would like to, I wondered if you’d share some of your favourite j-pop / anime songs? I think you have excellent taste whenever you share your opinions, so I’d love to listen to your favs.

Oh my gosh! Thank you so much for sending this, I love getting asks and you're so sweet. PS your art is super cute, love your colors! (I'm gonna reblog some as soon as I'm done answering this. <3)

...wait. MEG!??!?!?! i THOUGHT I recognized that art style! OH MY GOD how long have you been following me and I didn't know?? ;___;!! Hello how have you been!? AAAAAAH!

Okay, I will calm down and. Answer the question asked. XD; Anime music! Here's some tracks I really love, in no particular order and also I'm all over the place style-wise.

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"Blue" from Cowboy Bebop is one of my all-time favorites. Honestly the whole Cowboy Bebop soundtrack is amazing and lives up to the hype for sure with its jazz/Old West style with spacy and harder and more modern vibes.

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"Ashita Kuru Hi" from Kobato. was the next one that popped into my head! This song gets several different versions throughout the anime, because it's a tune the main character sings all the time, different verses for different events. It even gets a Christmassy reprise in one episode! This is the full, basic version of it featuring music box. But this piano-opening version with more sweeping instruments plays over the finale credits... While I'm at it, I WILL plug the entire soundtrack. It is ADORABLE and is nice sweet background music for work and study.

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Gotta give a shoutout to Mob Psycho 100's opening themes for sure. They're all so good and seat-dance provoking. "1" is my favorite of them, it's so intense!

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"Yuzurenai Negai" from Magic Knight Rayearth is really nostalgic for me, being the theme from one of the first anime I ever bought bootleg fansubs of from a shady man at a monthly comics expo. XD It's definitely a "classic anime" kind of song, with that adventurous shoujo feel.

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"Matsuri Uta" from Blue Seed is one I was introduced to without having ever seen the anime it's from and I still like it. It has a slow, quiet start and is just a very pretty piece. (I like to sing along to it, hehe.) Here's another arrangement without the lyrics but with more instruments.

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WHILE I'M ON Megumi Hayashibara...I'll also rec "Give a Reason" from Slayers. It's so punchy and upbeat and really inspires a person to get up and GO! You know what? Here's "Get Along" too.

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I could recommend any of "Cardcaptor Sakura"'s opening and closing themes, but "Hitorijime" sticks out to me as a funky little track that's just extra fun to listen to. In the same vein is "Groovy!" and the video features a hypnotically bouncing Kero-chan so you can't lose.

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I could fill an entire post of its own with Sailor Moon music but instead I will gesture wildly at "Moon Revenge" from the R Movie and yell that it features one of my favorite things in any anime song--vocals by the cast.

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SPEAKING OF...here's another one of my ultimate favorite anime songs of all time, "Yamerarenai Yamerarenai" from Tenchi Muyô! The entire main voice cast going absolutely ham in character singing about all the little pleasures in life. Absolutely delightful!

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Okay last one for this post because this is probably way way too long as it is. "Party Night" from Di Gi Charat! Specifically the Hyper Parapara version. I love this shit so much. This is the music video version because I can't resist, but here's the full song.

Okay! I'm outta here! Thank you again for asking, it was fun to follow my stream of consciousness and just post whatever fun thing popped to mind next. XD

#dj kidk #ask #nyanbelievable #kidk says stuff #i maxxed out tumblr's 10-video limit and that's the reason i stopped #this ended up being mostly older stuff because that's what my brain was hopping to #i love a lot of anime and anime music #i could go on for post after post probablyyy #no but for real i'm sorry i missed it when you followed me! thank you for sending me this so i could know it's you!#hope you are doing well!!

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sonicmusicmusings · 10 months

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Hello, all!

I love this little pseudo chippy tune mini game track. It made the frustrations of this mini game much more bearable! Always driving forward, I love the short little arpeggios buried in the back of the mix, adding some additional motion. The two main chords this bounces back and forth between are voiced quite nicely, emphasizing a 7th sound in the major voicings, giving some tension and release between the two...without actually sounding terribly resolved, thanks to the motion in the bass. The little melody is the icing on the cake in the B section, floating up and down in chromatic steps. This is just a little groovy jam and I'm a big fan!

#what would sonic do #the murder of sonic the hedgehog #tmosth #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #music

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gerogerigaogaigar · 4 months

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We're almost at the end. Since this is the gay sex website or whatever I've put together a list of lgbtq+ rappers. This list obviously trends a little more towards the modern scene and a little more obscure. But there are definitely some very big names here.

TERROR PACKETS Backxwash is my favorite modern rapper. She's a trans woman who often raps about trans issues. She needs to be more popular. please I need people to listen to her she is so good and I want queer horrorcore to be A Thing.

New York Angel Haze's relationship to gender is "I don't consider myself of any sex. I consider myself an experience." I like the beat on this song, just that fuzzy bass hit and claps to help emphasize his bouncy flow.

Georgia You probably know him from rap crew Brockhampton, but Kevin Abstract's solo work is arguably better for the way it blends hip-hop and R&B. Kevin Abstract is an out and proud gay man and he sings about it frequently.

MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name) You know this one. Lil Nas X kinda surprised me when he put out an entire album that was actually good start to finish, but the lead single still stands out as one of the best pop rap tunes I've ever heard.

WAP Once again, You know what this is. Both Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion have come out as bisexual. And when you consider how often both women rap about pussy it's clear they weren't really trying to hide it.

Sugar Honey Iced Tea (S.H.I.T.) Princess Nokia feels like they should be bigger. Their music is catchy, a little experimental and brings a bit of punk influence. Their back to back 2020 releases Everything Sucks and Everything Is Beautiful ought to be on more people's mind. Oh and Princess Nokia is bi and uses she/they pronouns.

Rent Bounce music is still a little way from being mainstream, but once people start paying attention they're gonna be bumping Big Freedia nonstop. You might recognize her voice from Beyonce's hit Break My Soul. Her genre defining style blends hip-hop and dance music in a way unique to the New Orleans club scene. Big Freedia identifies as a gay male, but also is okay with any pronouns and acknowledges that a lot of her style and gender presentation is based on the local drag scene.

Don Dada Cakes Da Killa is one of the more popular gay rappers out there. Don Dada has a groovy house beat that gives his voice a nice bounce.

SORRY NOT SORRY Odd Future alumni Tyler, The Creator had been hinting for a bit that he might be bi and this song from his most recent album confirms it. On top of that it is a great dialogue between the two sides of himself, the one that feels insecure for his past behavior and the side that wants to be proud of himself.

Ladies First The first female rap star recently introduced the world to her girlfriend. So it looks like there have been queer rappers as far back as the 80's. Looking back at her biggest hit I guess it is about loving women when you get down to it.

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unidentifiedlyingobject · 6 months

Note

who are your favourite singers/bands? :D

oh my goodness where to start?????

I've answered this in a really thorough way and it ended up really long so I put a cut sorry :_)

ok I had a year or two lasting obsession with radiohead, so because I know all the words/tunes etc I listen to radiohead when I'm doing homework or something that requires my brain to be on something else because old music that I already know is nice to listen to but boring enough not to distract me. favourite song: Let Down

Radiohead trivia: the song 'Nude' has an intro that is the backwards version of the outro

then ofc there's David Bowie who is such an amazing musician and I listen to Bowie if I want to be cheered up. favourite song: Queen Bitch

I love the Cranberries too, especially Dolores O'Riordan's wonderful singing, but I don't know a huge range of their songs only like five. favourite song: Sunday

I've become a fan of The Cure without realising it and they're really cool. favourite song: Just Like Heaven

also other bands I listen to with random frequency: The Arctic Monkeys, Garbage, Nirvana, Sir Chloe, Simon & Garfunkel, Stereophonics, The Smiths, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Zombies (if you listen to Nothing's Changed by The Zombies on spotify you can hear them chatting at the end of the song [timestamp 2:28] bc no one bothered to turn record off lol)

Special Mention Song: 'Dream a Little Dream of Me' - The Mamas and Papas (it gets a special mention for loathingly spinning round my head for a good few weeks until I made some good omens fanart of it 😭😭 it's a beautiful song 😭😭😭😭 i should stop crying 😭)

fun fact I discovered that I can basically vibe to any song as long as I'm hyper enough (vibing to Bach for gcse music was what made me discover this, he's so groovy)

(thank you so much for this question!) ok I really want to know your music taste!!!

#ulo music #this can go here :)

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pocima · 10 months

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My top 10 favorite music projects of 2023 ૢ✧∘* ✧･ﾟ

Welcome to this list that 2 people were mildly anticipating tops, a list where I ramble about note sequences that give me a sense of enjoyment, which is essentially what this blog of mine is dedicated to. I’ve been on this site for more than a year now, I had the pleasure of interacting and chatting with my lovely mutuals who share my silly little interests, both here and on @akaneverse. At the end of last year, I simply uploaded a topster of my favorite albums and EPs, and this December, I’m taking my time to review said projects, and show them appreciation with words and expressions slightly bigger than “the production is so insane” and “BANGER”. This year has been good to me as a music enjoyer, with new releases from my longer-time faves and incredible new discoveries, some possibly becoming all-time faves, which will be mentioned in the post. Pitchfork, your bankruptcy is nearing. And yes, the GIF is a spoiler.

⑩ Ichijikikoku (EP) - Atarashii Gakko!

I can say I somewhat got into Japanese music this year and this anti-idol group with a school leader concept looking camp right in the eye were some of the first artists that caught my attention. Having accidentally come across them through snooping around a beloved mutual’s Spotify profile, the quality of their songs such as Pineapple Kryptonite, Nainainai and Freaks caught me off guard in a great way. Their discography offers various genres such as robotic chant-filled hyperpop, groovy city pop, alternative rock, hip-hop and their latest EP truly showcases their diversity and range. From Otona Blue, the funky pop song that was the push start for the girls to get their rightful recognition, to a revisit to their older rock sound, to their first club banger and more city pop hits, this EP presents what their music has to offer in a nutshell. 2023 treated the school leaders well as they both got their deserved success and delivered a well-rounded project along with other listen-worthy singles.

Favorite tracks: Otome no Bigaku and Giri Giri.

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⑨ 3 of Us (EP) - FLO

After taking the Internet’s ‘00s R&B revivalists and girl group appreciators by storm with their first EP Cardboard Box in 2022, this iconic trio went on an ongoing streak to constantly deliver the best and improve their music and skills. 3 of Us serves as lunchables before the upcoming full-course meal which is their debut album, and not so surprisingly considering the consistent high quality of the group’s releases, the snack surely is fulfilling. Two of the tunes were anticipated then-unreleased songs but the title track and the later added-on Suite Life were loved by us FLOlifers as well. The four songs showcase both the group’s incredible vocals and their empowering no-nonsense attitude. The title track is an anthem that shows the world the girls have each other’s backs, through a smooth execution of a humorous scenario of a guy simultaneously trying to toy with the 3 of them. FLO are real it girls, and this mini alone is definitely convincing of that enough.

Favorite tracks: what if I said all of them?

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⑧ MY World (EP) - aespa

aespa have long-ago established their cybergirl fighter Kwangya concept and a solid spot in the K-pop industry as a group with one of the strongest group identities, top-notch discographies and powerful vocals. I slowly fell in love with them in 2021 and they have been one of the very few anchors to my interest in K-pop lately. Through mismanagement and complete bs coming from their crappy record label, standing ten toes down with these girls and experiencing the comeback of the summer was 100% worth it. Though the label needs to pull themselves together a little for the creative direction of all of their groups, MY World offered aespa’s two different takes on the summer which somehow felt fresh and unique, still suiting the group and proving aespacore’s wide range. The music, however, gave the signature aespa sound we had missed because of the music drought. Reol and Slayyyter’s souls truly split into two each, possessing the four members and giving us the gritty, in-your-face EDM banger that is the lead single Spicy. Welcome to MY World, the mini’s pre-release single, on the other hand, is an orchestral, alluring alternative pop track, which is a genre I never knew I needed aespa to dip their toes into. Salty and Sweet is a package delivery for the MYs who are especially seated for aespa’s metallic hyperpop releases, while Thirsty is contemporary R&B with a bubbly aespacore twist to it and I’m Unhappy is a splendid hyperballad. No offense but had they left the basic and frankly flow-disrupting ballad ‘Til We Meet Again in the vault, the ranking of the EP would be higher on here, and this is my only criticism of the project music-wise. As I always say on aespa comeback release days: the girls did it again.

Favorite tracks: answer changes every 5 business days but right now I’m gonna go with Welcome to MY World and Spicy.

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⑦ Crying in the Carwash (EP) - Lolo Zouaï

I’ve been keeping up with Lolo Zouaï on the low (pun intended, see Encore) since the release day of her sophomore album PLAYGIRL but I might have to pay closer attention to her because of her elevated excellence showcased on this mini. Besides giving her more freedom over her work and artistic direction, returning to her independent artist days allowed her to wiggle more with her own feelings and experiences directly, as opposed to the personas she conveyed the story of PLAYGIRL through. Before the unveiling of the EP, the roll-out fully hooked me in with both the singles and mesmerizing visuals. Encore was the perfect earworm-y invitation to the era, and Crying in the Carwash showed us the rainy panorama none other than Lolo’s mind with soft, melancholic jungle drums as the track’s stand-out point. The rest of the three songs, sitting prettily in the middle, give us soulful R&B blessed with the artist’s gentle vocal runs and UK garage reminiscent of e-motions by Mura Masa and Erika de Casier. All in all, I can’t be the only one who can’t wait to see what Zouaï will have to offer with her future work.

Favorite track: Crying in the Carwash.

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⑥ ESFERA DE AMOR - Simona

Esfera de Amor? In “my top 10 favorite projects of the year”? More like “top 10 most slept on albums of the year”. I’m not saying this just because of my personal opinion or just by looking at the streaming numbers either. This project is worth checking out for everyone looking for ethereal, light, bubbly pop à la 4th gen K-pop girl group music. Simona took recent pop micro-trends such as the incorporation of house, UK garage, hyperpop, neo-reggaeton and baile funk, and shaped them up into her very own world of love. The record, while being a relatively easy listen and having the ability to appeal to a wider audience, keeps you attentive and never bored, with an intro that leaves the sense of time and reality behind to make room for dancing and a classy vintage-style interlude. At one stop you unwind, at the second you dance at midnight in your bedroom, and at another you’re an otherworldly romantic. Feel free to do whatever you please, because after all, you’re in a sphere of love where everything’s fine.

Favorite tracks: Adentro de Mí, Polidrama, Plush, Meloni and Llaga Verdadera.

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⑤ BB/ANG3L - Tinashe

Tinashe has been an impactful figure in modern R&B for nearly a decade now, with her resumé ranging from choreography material groovy bops to heartfelt, calmer, vocal-heavy songs. BB/ANG3L, in the musician’s own words, combines her past and her present, her darker debut day sound with her faster-paced, catchier, dreamy tunes. The songwriting keeps it real and personal: we go from a dramatic reflection on a toxic relationship, to wanting to be pampered and treated with respect and class, to more reflections and slowly letting go. In the music video for Talk To Me Nice, Tinashe peels away her former self and gets purified with the dripping water, getting down to her essence. (I will further elaborate on my newly found love for water concepts/metaphors in some next entries.) Thanks to producer Machinedrum, garage and dnb rhythms (can you tell those are my weaknesses yet?) are beautifully incorporated in two of the tracks, and the production is atmospheric and tastefully bleak throughout the entire tracklist. Keeping up with Tinashe’s releases for a good while, a couple of years in my case, remains a pleasure with this project of hers.

Favorite track: answer changes often once again and this time I’m picking Tightrope.

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④ Raven - Kelela

If there were courses on how to take breaks of long years after releasing a top-tier album and make an even more world-shaking, majestic comeback, Raven would be the diligently studied textbook. Though I personally can’t relate to the 6-year wait as I discovered Kelela at the beginning of this year, my commentary is unnecessary for one to know she is a legend whose impact on alternative R&B, dance music and neo-soul is not up for any questioning. While Raven has even more of a slower and sultrier side than before, the intimacy and maturity stays consistent whether we’re talking jungle, aurora-like synths or soothing orchestration. It’s a true, well-constructed and developed body of fruitful work, with seamless thought-out sequencing, an art that’s being kept alive by artists that rightfully value it. Motifs reappearing in her previous albums such as “all the way down”, “on the run”, “far away” make their returns, but in no way does anything feel repetitive or any less unique. The album cover art and the music videos for Washed Away and Enough for Love present us more water imagery that couldn’t have been any more suitable for the sultriness and haziness of the record. Raven is the deep melancholic ocean that you trust to wrap your body around, where you witness musical scenery that’s so breath-taking that you can barely tell if it’s real.

Favorite track: On the Run.

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Let’s get some honorable mentions out of the way before the top 3: Heaven knows by PinkPantheress (literally 11th place, Feelings was on repeat for like a week straight), My 21st Century Blues by Raye (robbed by the Scammys), Unlock My World by fromis_9 (if I make a best ‘23 K-pop b-side list Prom Night has a high spot secured), seOul collection by OnlyOneOf (I ignore the old tracks included in the album and candy bOmb is the K-pop b-side of the year) and Bébe Yana’s singles this year bc even though they’re not a body of work they’re too good not to get a shout-out.

③ Code Ge4ss - 4s4ki

As I was getting into Japanese music in March, I suddenly wondered whether there was a full-fledged hyperpop or experimental electronic music scene in Japan. After a quick Google search, an interesting artist popped up, with the metallic cybercore aesthetic I’ve been craving more of on the cover art of her latest album called Killer in Neverland. Interesting album name, intriguing song titles too, and as soon as I heard Log Out she took it in my eyes, there and then. Listening to Killer in Neverland as a whole took my shock to another level. Who was this and why did her music satisfy my cravings to this extent? As I went through her discography in a day or two, I fell deeper and deeper in love with her enchanting production (she’s her very own producer, mind you), crunchy autotuned vocals that somehow sound magical, her risk-taking unique concepts, something in between camp and outright beautiful visuals, precisely crafted songwriting and artistry. She manages to be the perfect amount of fun, the perfect amount of edgy, the perfect amount of bright, the perfect amount of sharp, the perfect amount of real, the perfect amount of satirical, the perfect amount of joyful, the perfect amount of sad on each and every project of hers. What didn’t hit me like a truck at first, however, is her tremendous improvement as a musician in pretty much every aspect: production, songwriting, album cohesion, creative direction, visuals. Not until her latest album Code Ge4ss finally got released in late June.

I was confused at first at the Code Geass anime collab thing, I wasn’t exactly sure of the release date and whether 4s4ki was actually releasing yet another scrumptious FULL album not too long after I got into her. The album dropped, I was tuned in right at midnight and my already high expectations were surpassed. Banging (kicking if you will) Jersey club beats, birds chirping accompanying glitchy trap instrumentals, screams followed by almost Machine Girl-level noisy circuit board sorcery, samples of characters’ speeches over electro guitar riffs, a piano interlude paired with opera runs taken from the show, pacifying ballads which are a mix of acoustic guitar and hard-hitting pots-pans and 8-bit synths, all closed by surreal orchestration with the classic electronica touches of 4s4ki and collaborator producer Kotonohouse. I’m sure I’d appreciate the Code Geass-themed lyricism on an even deeper level if I hadn’t paused watching the anime after 5 episodes like the terrible TV consumer I am. What I can be certain about is that everything about this project feels genuine and from within because it IS genuine and from within. 4s4ki couldn’t have been a more suitable choice for this collaboration, she’s been a fan of the franchise since elementary school and very few emit the weird cyber-glitchcore internet baby aesthetics the way she does. The cover art is stunning and references the series once again, and the Shirley MV leaves us with calming visuals that may remind you of Welcome to MY World by aespa, which spoke to the aespa x 4s4ki truther in me.

As I was saying, this album is what really rubbed her major progress as an artist and musician in my face. We’ve gone such a long way from the calmer EDM-pop antics of Your Dreamland, for example, not even to mention the synth-pop balladry in her debut Gender. Every era of hers sonically gets increasingly complex and intense and ethereal, and in every body of work she leaves in a bigger, more intimate piece of her. There’s just so much personality in everything she puts out and presents. She built her sonic and artistic identity from the bottom to the top and even as a fan for less than a year, continuing to witness this makes me feel pure admiration. Words aren’t enough to properly express how I feel about her art but that won’t stop me from typing up paragraphs to try to get someone to understand me on this. People have various opinions on 4s4ki’s experimentation and self-expression, however what absolutely nobody can ever deny is that she’s a true artist, visionary and one of the most skilled producers of this generation. 2023 brought her both achievements and unfortunately some hardships, and I sincerely hope 2024 is kinder and even more generous to her. (She’s not done with taking over the year yet! Stream her new single Continue and stay tuned for winter again coming Dec 15.)

Favorite track: Eleven.

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② Fountain Baby - Amaarae

I touched upon my adoration for water imagery on my entries for BB/ANG3L and Raven but as you can see from the title, Fountain Baby took the theme to an entirely different level. The analogy potential of water is infinite as the fluidity, cadence, calmness, riptides, uncertainty, contradictions of water can very well be converted into the multi-faceted human emotion. The same water that you’re dependent on in order to live can poison you at an overload, the same water that rinses your body and soul can drown and choke you up when contacted with the wrong places. Fountain Baby expresses various moods and states of mind not only through concept visuals, but more importantly by sprinkling water euphemisms throughout the entire record: “fountain baby, wash her, make it wet”, “water on my neck, come make it warm”, “water from wine”, “water, it mix with the substance” being prominent examples. Amaarae chats love, sensuality, materialism and lastly, meeting your maker in a way other than passing away. She defines a “fountain baby” as “a person with endless charisma, someone that is abundant in their blessings and ultimately a blessed child of God.” The universe Fountain Baby resides in is essentially rich, delicate, cloudy and raw.

While water is a consistent element of the album, it was far from being Amaarae’s only source of inspiration. She draws on ‘00s pop staples Timbaland and Britney Spears, The Neptunes, Clipse (sampled in Counterfeit), Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott and diverse genres such as Afro-beats, classic and contemporary hip-hop, Americana punk rock and dance. The melting pot of live orchestra, harps, baile funk, tire whirring, R&B-infused shiny Afro-futurism, Japanese folk song samples, Chinese bow violins, Arabic scales, gunshot and cash register clicking sounds, mid-song switches that make you feel like the main character of a coming of age movie, glitter and sax and guitars creates a record that refuses to be boxed into one genre or label. A “clever alchemist” and “a chemist who fuses world music” are titles that are deservingly given to the artist for these reasons. The record has plenty of variety yet the sequence all comes together akin to a satisfying crossword. It’s lucrative and shimmery but has its child-like, playful side that’s a natural result of Amaarae getting in touch with her inner 8 year-old during the cultivation process. The music videos are all different but inseparable approaches to the Fountain Baby-verse. The MV for the first pre-release Reckless and Sweet is based on editorials and has a silky luxurious look, with direct hints at the album’s concept. Co-Star, the second pre-release, casts zodiac signs as racer-models and fast cars come running around in a competition, keeping the high fashion coded color grading and filming style. The music video for the lead single Wasted Eyes is heavily inspired by the film Rush Hour and pays homage to Japanese culture about as much as the song does (it’s worth to mention the song is co-written by the iconic Crystal Kay whose speech you can hear in it). The intricacy and planning of every aspect of this era is pop music at its peak. With Fountain Baby, Amaarae finds the epitome of pop perfection without special dedication to seeking it.

Favorite track: Wasted Eyes.

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① Ambrosia (EP) - Namasenda

Some projects make your jaw drop from the get-go, some others grow on you with some time. Ambrosia crept up on me the longer I kept it on repeat, all the way to being my favorite project of this year. I already enjoyed Namasenda’s previous songs such as Black Ops 2, Demonic and the pre-release single maserati. As I later found more about the background of the project, how its concept came together and read the translation of the lyrics to rosa, my love for the it multiplied. Right now if I were to describe the EP in two simple words, they would be “ethereal”, “gorgeous” and “atmospheric”. These words are used with way more power than you may realize this time.

Sonically, the already unique artist stays true to herself but the execution of her vision is somehow… better than her previous work. north star and deathrow bby are unorthodox but celestial perspectives on baile funk, the former being a siren-like intro-lude that lures you in and the latter having a slightly haunting catchy Europop inspired jingle feel, serving as closer out of the 4 songs. maserati is a fresh take on polished but cutting pop, while rosa is a divine ballad that takes you to a dream realm. “Unconditionally here / I mean what I promise / When the sky is completely pink”, she sings in her home language Swedish, over the Casey MQ co-produced blissful synths. Maybe it’s executive producer Simon on the Moon’s musical genius (he’s also to be thanked for his involvement in Natural Brown Prom Queen by Sudan Archives), maybe it’s Namasenda unveiling a more authentic side of herself and therefore causing the music to be the most authentic version of itself. This authenticity drips through the production, the visuals and the lyrics. The stark contrast between Ambrosia and the jeweled, metallic, extreme meta-pop in her previous work, specifically Unlimited Ammo, opens up a conversation on the future of hyperpop.

Besides the heavy, detail-embroidered production, the focus of hyperpop was pretty much always exaggerating the artificial aspects of pop music, such as vocal manipulation, heavy bass, deafening drums, unforgettable melodies and shallow lyrics. How long could one use these funnily unrealistic musical personas before wanting to face themselves and do a deeper, more pure dive on pop? This I-D article on PC Music (the record label pioneering the hyperpop scene) shutting down concludes with “Perhaps it’s time to get off the computer and rediscover the personal.” Indeed, we can’t exactly reach a verdict on whether “hyperpop” will become just another fad or not, but moving on from simply exaggerating pop to expanding, beautifying and authenticating its sound isn’t an inaccurate prediction. 4s4ki and Namasenda (who, by the way, parted ways with PCMus before Ambrosia) are two of the artists that embody the beautiful, complex hyperpop-transcendent sound and experimental electronic pop music is in good hands thanks to artists like them.

To finish off this entry, Ambrosia manages to pinpoint exactly what I like to hear, both characteristics that I mentioned and things you can’t really put into sentences, only listen to and let them sink in. The production is some of the most stunning I’ve ever heard in my life, the EP is cohesive despite the short 9-minute run time, the visuals are simple but creative and the craft is passionate and genuine. Next time somebody asks me about the music I like, I’m sending them this EP with no further elaboration as it summarizes my tastes like no other body of work ever has.

Favorite track: rosa, it also grew on me the most drastically.

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Now to end this post, every year gives me brand new outlooks on how I consume music and the details I notice, the things I pay attention to. 2023 was filled to the brim with musicians offering their own outlooks on how they create. I’m keeping my eye on the masterpieces that will come out of 2024 and I wonder how my interests will transform with me next year.

Hey @nayeonline (special thankies for indirectly fueling my writing process) and @timetravellingkitty, I wiggled my keyboard a bit 😗

#keyboard.com #finally properly combining two of my hobbies: writing and music #this took sm longer than expected but I’m satisfied with the result #and DAMNNNN I really don’t play about 4s4ki…#going through more interviews was so fun though‚ I fell in love with these albums even more #lmk if this should be a yearly thing #namasenda #amaarae #4s4ki #kelela #tinashe #simona #lolo zouaï #aespa #flo #atarashii gakko

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