This week’s 「FTZone!!」 opens with OddRe:’s 「AXEL」, where funk meets disco. From there, we move to Michael Kaneko’s album 「Reprise」, miida’s band-built sound and Lavt’s dance through an inner world. On the fifth track, Osamu Fukuzawa, Kazuki Isogai and YonYon take us out into the streets of Shimokitazawa.
Here are the first five tracks from FTZ’s weekly updated playlist 「New Alternative Music ◤FTZone!!◢」, in their Spotify order as of November 7.
OddRe: / AXEL
Three-piece band OddRe: released 「AXEL」 digitally on October 31. Built around funk and disco, it weaves guitar riffs and relaxed vocals into a driving beat.
AirA handles vocals, ﾕｳｷ ｻﾀﾞ bass and vocals, and SOI ANFIVER guitar and track production. Their roles come together on this song, which will also appear on the debut album 「OddRe:」, due on January 6, 2027.
Release URL: https://oddre.lnk.to/AXEL
Michael Kaneko / Traces
「Traces」 is the lead track opening Michael Kaneko’s fourth album, 「Reprise」, released on November 4. He wrote the lyrics, composed the music and handled the arrangement himself.
The album contains nine tracks, including 「Alone」, co-written with Thai band temp., and 「Blur」, featuring Taiwan’s Yokkorio. Following the running order from 「Traces」, we would like to listen to its cross-border collaborations alongside the expression of a single singer-songwriter.
Release URL: https://michaelkaneko.lnk.to/Reprise
miida / CALL
miida’s 「CALL」 is the third track on their third album, 「A CALL FROM BEYOND」, released on November 4. The album is built on a process in which the three members layer their performances over programming by マスダミズキ.
Opening with a hard-edged guitar riff and drums, the song transforms midway into buoyant indie pop. Its protagonist, held back by other people’s judgment and by rationalizations, nevertheless steps into a relationship. The band channels that shift from hesitation to resolve into the song’s progression.
Release URL: https://friendship.lnk.to/ACALLFROMBEYOND_miida
Lavt / 桃源郷
Releasing the true feelings and desires kept hidden out of concern for others’ eyes: Lavt’s second major-label single, 「桃源郷」, released digitally on November 4, is dance-pop that turns inward while moving to the beat.
The music video, released the same day, depicts a protagonist working on creative projects in a single room: the frustration of things not going as planned, and the hope found within it. We would like to hear this as a song about finding a place within one’s own heart, rather than escaping to a distant utopia.
Release URL: https://Lavt.lnk.to/Tougenkyou
Osamu Fukuzawa / Kazuki Isogai / YonYon / Shimokitazawa
Osamu Fukuzawa and Kazuki Isogai released 「Shimokitazawa」 featuring YonYon on November 6. It takes its title from the Tokyo neighborhood loved by the Seoul-born singer and DJ.
It is the final advance single from the pair’s collaborative album, due on November 20. YonYon has also described it as a love song set in this neighborhood, filled with her memories. As we listen, we would like to picture the Shimokitazawa streets we have walked ourselves.
Release URL: https://dontaku.lnk.to/shimokitazawa
