The critical acclaim afforded to the brilliant Strawberry Generation, Afloat​+​Recollections album (released in August 2020) ensured more widespread recognition for a Japanese Testcard Records label, that have already made themselves an absolutely essential follow.

This EP by Letiny, is very much capable of garnering similar plaudits, especially as it has a core aesthetic that will appeal to fans of multiple genres.

Thankfully, the best of the release is the majoritive sound. Here Bloom, A Girl, So You Are Happy and Early Summer Days, juxtapose the sweetness of Lucie Too style Japanese guitar-pop, against the grumbling, jangly, fuzz laden melodies of the Hinds /  Melenas sound. Such tracks are just swathes of subtle, indie-chic energy, imbued with asiatic, indie-pop saccharine.

The two outliers of the release are equally as precious and provide perfect distance from any accusations of uniformity. Here the chiming Sales style riffs of Idly nibble away at the boundaries of laconic dream-pop, whereas the cutesy, acoustic bedroom-pop of Never Be Found hints at a Japanese Kimya Dawson meets Girl on Red style playfulness and introspection.

This is another absolute winner from a label that is shaping up to be one of the best cassette labels around. Grab yourself one of the 100 limited edition cassettes here.

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