Good indie music in Asia✨
Hello! This is the BELONG Media / A-indie editorial team. To all our readers who always read our articles. “Who are the people who make this media?” Maybe you’ve been a little curious about that? When you think of music media, you probably have an image of cool, stoic people gathering together. (We used to […]
Remember those days when you bought CDs and immersed yourself in reading every word of the lyric booklets and liner notes? I loved the time spent imagining the stories behind each song in my own way. Lately, hasn’t that kind of “dialogue” with music been declining? While the infinite playlists that algorithms continuously serve up […]
The moment carbonation bubbles rise, that instant when sweet candy dissolves. Who could have imagined that this familiar chemical reaction we all know would become the perfect metaphor for depicting the dangerous allure of love? MICHELLE’s “Mentos and Coke” is a track released in 2024 by the six-member indie-pop collective from New York, serving as […]
Recently, I was casually browsing through Japanese records from the 70s to 80s at a used record shop. Among the Japanese-language jackets, there was one record that stood out as distinctly different – it was entirely in English. I thought it might be a foreign artist mixed in, but surprisingly, it turned out to be […]
Silence can sometimes become more eloquent poetry than anything else. Michiharu Shimoda started his career under the name SILENT POETS with wordless instrumentals. SILENT POETS, whose name became even more widely known through providing music for the game ‘DEATH STRANDING’, has completed their first album in 7 years, ‘HOPE’. During these 7 years, the world […]
Text: Tomohiro Yabe “This is impossible.” In early April, when BELONG Media founder Tomohiro Yabe sent an email to London indie label Bella Union about a listening session, that’s what people around him whispered. The project to deliver the album by “Goddess”—the new project of Fay Milton, a member of the four-piece women’s post-punk band […]
My conversation with Masafumi Gotoh of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION was a reunion for me, yabori (Tomohiro Yabe), after 10 years. My musical journey began here, encountering AKG’s music and opening the door to Western music by listening to ASH’s “Burn Baby Burn” from the Nano-Mugen Fes compilation CD. And now, NANO-MUGEN FES. 2025, revived after […]
“I want to go to Fuji Rock in Japan someday!” Have you ever hesitated because of language barriers or distance, despite holding onto that thought? “Concerty” is the tool that gives you the courage to take a step towards that dream. Not only can you search for nearby concerts while you’re there, but it also […]
Tapeworms, a trio from Lille, France, blends the charm of electronic music and indie-pop. In this column, two unique characters, music expert Dr. Aria and music novice Slime Punipon, will unravel their music, new album “Grand Voyage,” and cultural background, from France to their current stay in Tokyo. This article is a new attempt to […]
Formed in Korea in 2020, orange flavored cigarettes (commonly known as ofc) is a noteworthy band whose debut song has reached 1.8 million plays on Spotify, despite being unknown newcomers. The quartet, consisting of dani (Vo.), gurl (Gt.), hotch (Ba.), and chan (Dr.), has gained popularity beyond borders with their unique worldview and musicality, much […]