Steven Smith
@durianmilkshake.bsky.social
I write a weekly newsletter on the latest Japanese "City Music" with an accompanying playlist. It is free!
🚫No AI is used!🚫
Newsletter: https://neocitypop.substack.com/
Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ojdY5RKVdES4RcvGFB6fJ?si=f7cda9e7015b4c
🚫No AI is used!🚫
Newsletter: https://neocitypop.substack.com/
Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ojdY5RKVdES4RcvGFB6fJ?si=f7cda9e7015b4c
The 'you made it' youtube starter kit:
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
December 12, 2025 at 4:44 PM
The 'you made it' youtube starter kit:
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
-Guy in an Incubus hat makes a video of himself listening to your song
-bots posting inconsequential edits
Jokes aside some of you might not need coffee if you woke up with yogi jogi playing in your head
December 12, 2025 at 4:09 PM
Jokes aside some of you might not need coffee if you woke up with yogi jogi playing in your head
I was hoping that somehow Spotify had uncovered a nuance I wasn't aware of and that now all of my music was actually considered city pop!
For reference my previous year’s genre lineup:
For reference my previous year’s genre lineup:
December 10, 2025 at 8:19 PM
I was hoping that somehow Spotify had uncovered a nuance I wasn't aware of and that now all of my music was actually considered city pop!
For reference my previous year’s genre lineup:
For reference my previous year’s genre lineup:
“A couple of weeks” is my favorite estimate lol
December 10, 2025 at 12:55 AM
“A couple of weeks” is my favorite estimate lol
I read a piece on substack this morning that rubbed me the wrong way. It was about how we need to look out for artists rights in the wake of all this GenAI stuff (which I totally agree with!), but I felt the way he went about it was clumsy. Here's an excerpt from a rebuttal I probably won't publish:
December 6, 2025 at 7:33 AM
I read a piece on substack this morning that rubbed me the wrong way. It was about how we need to look out for artists rights in the wake of all this GenAI stuff (which I totally agree with!), but I felt the way he went about it was clumsy. Here's an excerpt from a rebuttal I probably won't publish:
This month's Bandcamp purchases. I've actually included two that I did not buy during Bandcamp Friday, but *you* should!
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
December 6, 2025 at 2:38 AM
This month's Bandcamp purchases. I've actually included two that I did not buy during Bandcamp Friday, but *you* should!
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
punipunidenki's Kabu is the only Japanese album you need this year. No offense to whatshername that got the big Pitchfork review (bleh), but Kabu is all heat.
Now that I *do* have! The 12” single came with 3D glasses, hah!
December 4, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Now that I *do* have! The 12” single came with 3D glasses, hah!
Let that sink in
December 3, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Let that sink in
Thankfully he was actually credited, so the answer is not "all of her recording revenue forever and all time" like one poor soul
November 28, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Thankfully he was actually credited, so the answer is not "all of her recording revenue forever and all time" like one poor soul
we've got iri at home
November 20, 2025 at 6:47 AM
we've got iri at home
Full liner notes, only on Instagram and absolutely nowhere else, SMDH!!!
November 18, 2025 at 5:16 PM
Full liner notes, only on Instagram and absolutely nowhere else, SMDH!!!
muque (mid-tier J-Pop band): “yeah we used GoogleAI for our new music video”
Billyrrom:
Billyrrom:
November 14, 2025 at 4:35 PM
muque (mid-tier J-Pop band): “yeah we used GoogleAI for our new music video”
Billyrrom:
Billyrrom:
Egregious vinyl November continues
November 11, 2025 at 3:30 AM
Egregious vinyl November continues
Absolutely no idea why this is so cheap but can’t wait to get home and find out
November 9, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Absolutely no idea why this is so cheap but can’t wait to get home and find out
Most of the time I'm like 'I'm total garbage, just write the stuff and get it out there, feed the webcrawlers!' but then I re-read this stuff and I'm like 'wait a minute....'
November 8, 2025 at 4:53 AM
Most of the time I'm like 'I'm total garbage, just write the stuff and get it out there, feed the webcrawlers!' but then I re-read this stuff and I'm like 'wait a minute....'
Song of the year has its own bedazzled raglan tee. What a time to be alive
November 7, 2025 at 12:21 AM
Song of the year has its own bedazzled raglan tee. What a time to be alive
Endearing artist profiles
November 6, 2025 at 6:35 AM
Endearing artist profiles
I never saw any music video for this
![Pop Star" is a song by Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager.[1] The Video also helped Hirai break into the US and Canadian Markets where stations would play the video despite the fact that it was in Japanese.[citation needed]](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:66rovxszvvun6ywuwlh3ccrf/bafkreickfkt6c37jqk7kpfchunspxptufpbeca7pxynapgg7paa6tq4cti@jpeg)
November 5, 2025 at 6:50 PM
I never saw any music video for this
Citation DESPERATELY needed because what?! I thought the song was moody popular among gigantic nerds because it was in a famous video game
November 5, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Citation DESPERATELY needed because what?! I thought the song was moody popular among gigantic nerds because it was in a famous video game
I was listening to her new EP and hoping I could find an explanation for what "NEEMIA" meant, because when I looked it up I could only find stuff in hebrew:
www.billboard.com/music/music-...
www.billboard.com/music/music-...
November 5, 2025 at 5:51 AM
I was listening to her new EP and hoping I could find an explanation for what "NEEMIA" meant, because when I looked it up I could only find stuff in hebrew:
www.billboard.com/music/music-...
www.billboard.com/music/music-...