The alternation of seasons exists within delicate details—the slanting sun, chapped lips, the wind—everything slowly piecing together into a completely different form. This Japanese duo, formed by photographer/visual artist Shin Kikuchi and pianist Itoko Toma, uses music and visuals to capture the ethereal particles in the air. In antonym, they deconstruct and rework recordings from their previous album synonym, reimagining familiar melodies like a collage. On top of the original piano foundation, they add electronic sounds: noise, ambient drones, and piano notes intertwine as a wandering gaze lingers on swaying tree shadows. If you gaze deeply toward the horizon, you will see golden fragments of light sprinkle across layers of lilac haze.

Hailing from the United States, Wishy blends elements of Shoegaze, Jangle Pop, and Twee Pop, seamlessly weaving them into sweet and melodic pop structures. Compared to their previous album, Nature’s Pill tones down some of the gloom and haziness behind their walls of guitar, bringing the melodies and emotions further to the forefront, resulting in a sound that feels brighter, more direct, and more distinctly pop-oriented. 

I was here for a brief moment, then I was gone—as if nothing had been said at all, yet as if an entire lifetime had been recounted. Maybeshewill is one of my post-rock inspirations; their fragmentary arrangements use film dialogue, speeches, and whispers in place of traditional vocals, building up layers of fierce or melancholic emotion—it always moves you, without a word of explanation. This album has always been intoxicating to savor, lingering in the recesses of auditory memory as a quiet place to look back on.