2022.12.13 UP
Tokyo-based artist Yoshino Yoshikawa stands out amongst Japan’s busy electronic community by turning maximalist digital sounds into emotional fireworks. He’s been constructing catchy and neon-bright synth-pop for over a decade, with releases on celebrated netlabels Maltine Records and Zoom Lens. He dubs his particularly bubbly brand of sound as “Ultrapop,” and on new EP Secret Key, Yoshikawa continues to refine just what that style means, without losing any of the effervescence.
Originally released at Japan’s popular M3 independent music event, Secret Key largely finds Yoshikawa turning to instrumental passages to generate synth-powered serotonin boosts. The title track sports vocals courtesy of Yoshikawa himself, riffing on his own connection to internet culture as he seeks a way to connect with someone else IRL over a fizzy collection of electronic sounds. The other four songs found on Secret Key place an emphasis on Yoshikawa’s musical composition skills, with intermingling layers of synth dapples and stuttering beats coming together to form busy but buoyant tunes.
If Ultrapop is all about wringing the most feeling out of sound, Secret Key highlights just how that’s possible via melodies and individual notes alone.
Secret Key is now available on all streaming platforms here.