A guide to listening, pure and simple. Beyond time and place, across genres, regardless of length. Open the editors’ listening notebook.
Returning to Hong Kong on 10 July 2026 with their new EP The Singing Engines, THE NOVEMBERS are reflecting on what music can carry: memory, emotional resonance, and the desire to stay connected. Here, Kobayashi Yusuke (Vo. & Gt.), Matsumoto Kengo (Gt.), Takamatsu Hirofumi (Ba.), and Yoshiki Ryousuke (Dr.) open up about their latest EP, their relationship with the city, and the role live performance continues to play in their work.
While I was mindlessly scrolling on Instagram, I unexpectedly came across this bedroom pop talent, cikho. In just a 15-second clip—only the main melody and instrumental of an unfamiliar song—I was instantly hooked.
Around 2011, Brooklyn, New York was immersed in a wave of dream-pop driven by independent labels like Captured Tracks. For Zachary Cole Smith — at the time still a member of Beach Fossils — dreams probably felt like the rhythm of deep oceans and tides. Flowing like water, Zachary met a handful of like-minded musicians, and together they formally founded DIIV. This meeting of minds was destined to leave one of the most distinctive watery imprints on contemporary independent shoegaze.
On January 11, 2025, Taka, guitarist and leader of MONO, heard MONO’s music played at a funeral for the first time. It was at the funeral of his father-in-law. 〈Eternal Story〉 was playing as family and friends placed flowers, one by one, beside the coffin. The song was the first piece Taka wrote for his wife after his father passed away. While he was still alive, his father once asked him, “Why don’t you ever write a song for your precious wife?” Those words remained in Taka’s heart after his father’s passing. He eventually wrote 〈Eternal Story〉 and dedicated it to his wife. To him, the song carries his feelings for a loved one, while extending the story that has never truly disappeared from life. Over the past four years, Taka has lost several beloved and irreplaceable people, including his father, his longtime collaborator and producer Steve Albini, and his father-in-law. At his father-in-law’s funeral, as 〈Eternal Story〉 played, an image gave these losses a new connection.
A guide to listening, pure and simple. Beyond time and place, across genres, regardless of length. Open the editors’ listening notebook.
After more than a decade, Manic Sheep, a band of Taiwanese Dream Pop/Shoegaze, returns to the spotlight with their new album,《Rewind 2014》. Releasing songs that have been shelved for over a decade in 2026 is not merely a heartfelt reflection on the past, but a passionate collision across time with their refined technique and the fervent, pure spirit of their earlier work. Like their name, "Manic Sheep," their music blends the gentleness of sheep with the frenetic energy of a wall of sound. Behind the distorted, rough noise lies a subtle yet sweet melody. In this interview, Manic Sheep shares the inspiration behind the band's formation, the time capsule behind《Rewind 2014》, their honest observations of the changing landscape of Taiwanese independent music, and their understanding and love for Shoegaze. Of course, they also share their anticipation and memories of performing in Hong Kong again.
Singer Liv.e and drummer Karriem Riggins join forces to form the duo GENA. Liv.e’s solo work blends hip-hop, jazz, and soul, often leaning into a psychedelic style, and she has collaborated with underground rappers like Earl Sweatshirt and Pink Siifu. Karriem Riggins, on the other hand, is a highly respected drummer known for his work in the ’90s with artists like Common and J. Dilla, and has long been dedicated to pushing the fusion of jazz and soul.
There’s a palpable buzz in the air at MOM Livehouse before California indie veterans Deerhoof take to the stage. I’m going in blind, purely on the strength of the recommendations of friends. “You have to go to see Deerhoof”, they said. “There’s no chance you won’t love it.” As they’ve taken their work down from Spotify, the evil streaming platform I sadly still use, and they have a bafflingly large and varied back catalogue, I don’t listen to them beforehand. In short, I have no idea what to expect.
Kim Oki, from South Korea, is one of the representative figures of Asian avant-garde jazz, not only a crescendo performer, composer, and film director, but also a street dancer and a creator who spans various media.
Entering the 2000s, Japanese shoegaze steadily marched toward maturity within the independent music scene. Bands active since the 1990s—such as Coaltar of the Deepers, Luminous Orange, Cruyff In The Bedroom, dive, Ca-P, honeydip, Walrus, and JESUS FEVER—laid the groundwork for this sonic tidal wave. By the early 2000s, a new constellation of stars including Hartfield, mash, G-Ampere, stereo sun, and CLAMS began to emerge. While inheriting Western shoegaze aesthetics, they infused these sounds with Japanese melodic sensibilities, J-Pop elements, and delicate emotional nuances, gradually nurturing a distinct "Japanese shoegaze aesthetic."
Hailing from the UK, Natanya released a two-part EP last year named “Feline’s Return”. With bedroom-pop infused vocals, presented in a 2000s alt-pop aesthetic, production feels professional yet intimate, as Natanya crafted every single song from the EP with delicate fashion.
As spring draws to a close, June brings us once again to that coveted time of year: Primavera Sound (@primavera_sound). True to its name—"Spring Sound"—this Barcelona-anchored festival has evolved into a global musical juggernaut. What began as a boutique gathering focused on indie rock has aggressively expanded its blueprint in recent years, shifting its axis toward the pop, hip-hop, and electronic sub-genres currently captivating younger demographics. The sheer density of the lineup can only be described as dazzling. Drawing nearly 300,000 attendees annually, this year’s iteration made history by completely selling out a staggering four months before the gates even opened. While the core festival spans three days, the sprawling Primavera a la Ciutat parallel program extends the festivities across a full week, scattering diverse showcases across the city’s intimate live houses and satellite stages. Traversing generations and genres alike, it is a grand buffet for any self-respecting music obsessive.
If you are listening to Deerhoof for the first time, there may be a brief moment when you have no idea what you are hearing. It sounds like a nursery rhyme suddenly crashing into a noise show, or a rock band about to enter the chorus, only to suddenly take the original rhythm apart and rebuild it. The guitar, drums, voice, and noise all seem to be running in different directions, yet somehow, in a moment of chaos, they strangely come together. Just when you think it is about to turn cute, it becomes sharp; just when you think it is about to fall apart, it suddenly reveals a melody so bright it almost sounds like pop. This is what makes Deerhoof so difficult to introduce, and also so fascinating. Originally from San Francisco, the band has been active since the mid-1990s, often placed under labels such as noise rock, art punk, and experimental pop. Yet these categories seem able to describe only a small part of them. When we asked Deerhoof to describe themselves in three keywords, they did not choose any genre names. Their answer was: “Flowers, fruits, animals.” Flowers, fruits, animals. For a band so often described as “offbeat,” “experimental,” or “noise rock,” the answer almost feels like a joke, yet it is unexpectedly accurate. Deerhoof’s music has never really resembled a fixed genre. It is more like an ecosystem that keeps growing, darting around, and changing shape: nursery-rhyme-like repetition, rhythms that suddenly lose gravity, animal-like alertness in the body, and the vitality of a broken toy that refuses to stop making sound.
When we go to see a concert film, are we trying to return to the live scene, or are we trying to see a version more perfect than the actual live experience?
While the mainstream Japanese music scene in the 1990s was dominated by crisp, bright Guitar Pop, the urban-centric Shibuya-kei movement changed the landscape. Bands like Flipper’s Guitar, Salon Music, and Spiral Life began boldly deconstructing and reassembling Shoegaze elements—which were then booming in the UK—cleverly introducing this niche musical style into the mainstream consciousness.
"This isn't meant to be listened to; it's meant to be danced to." Directed by Spanish filmmaker Óliver Laxe, Sirāt caused a massive stir following its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. Not only did it take home the Jury Prize, but it also swept multiple accolades, including "Best Original Score" and "Best Sound Design."
Wong Tai Sin District
Eastern District
Yau Tsim Mong
Central and Western District
Tuen Mun
Kwai Chung
Islands District
Hung Hom
Sham Shui Po District
Kwun Tong District
Kowloon City District
Wan Chai District
