Daily Non-K-pop Spotlight: “honomekashi” by KIRINJI feat. SE SO NEON

Although this song comes from a Japanese artist, this fantastic indie track features South Korean indie darlings SE SO NEON. We love how even keeled it is. It doesn’t feel like it forces the listener to feel one way or the other. An understated intro full of soft synths gives way to simple bass, harp, and tight drums. It floats along melodically, with the smoothness occasionally punctuated by piano stabs – lending authority to our opinion when we say this song is intelligently produced and expertly executed.

The way that the two artists trade off feels like a hip-hop feature. It’s not hip-hop by any means, but the trading off of vocal duties follows hip-hop’s modern pop blueprint with excellent effect. Further, the track has great crossover appeal, given that lyrics are in both Japanese and Korean. Give it a listen.

 

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