Want to feel like an NPC in a Japanese dating sim or a lead in a shoujo anime? If these are the vibes you’re looking for, then put Meh Shua’s latest mini-album “Towards Odaiba Magic” on blast.
Meh Shua kicks off 2020 with a special treat for us. Last Jan. 16, they dropped “Towards Odaiba Magic” on Spotify. It’s a mini-album defining what their self-acclaimed genre, experimental kawaii, is all about—electro-dance, a little nod to Nintendocore, and a whole lot of cuteness encapsulated through well-crafted beats.
“Towards Odaiba Magic” is, for sure, a labor of love. As long-time fans of this eclectic yet enigmatic producer, this mini-album is already a big deal for us. This is, technically, their debut album and it defines their sound rather well. They also collaborated with some familiar names from the scene, like DIY House DJ Pamcy, electro-producer James Ussher fromBuwanBuwanCollective, and chiptune artist Moeblob.
What makes Meh Shua’s mini-album a fun listen is how they curated it. As you press play in your streaming service of choice, we are quickly transported to an off-branded Nintendo Gameboy Advance game this experimental kawaii producer crafted. Its tracks like “Welcome Screen,” “Pause,” and “Credits” aids the experience. Like any cute, slice-of-life video game, these sounds exist as placeholders leading up to the main reason why you pressed play.
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Tracks like “Annakournikova.jpg.Vbs,” “We Make It Clap,” and “Amusement Park” give us enough insight on why we played “Towards Odaiba Magic” in the first place. We want to dance and lose ourselves for a moment through a pixelated trance and a higher BPM. As for slower tracks like “All I Want is Uwu” and “Odaiba Magic,” it gives us a time to cool down while still staying within the dreamy soundscape Meh Shua constructed.
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It’s a fun listen for electro-pop lovers or Nintendocore fans. If these are genres you never heard of and want to get to know further, Meh Shua’s “Towards Odaiba Magic” is a good gateway listen. Their tracks can capture the hearts of anime lovers, various gamers, or anyone who wants to feel soft through carefully crafted beats.
Feel free to listen to the album below: