Hello, and welcome back to the second post of my Music Highlights series. This one's a bit late schedule-wise, since I have real life priorities I have to sort. I plan to keep making those posts in a regular cadence!

This time, I selected songs that are within roughly a month from its release! There are 5 songs that I chose to highlight here, both melancholic and energetic. Each of them are great in their own way, so let's get started!

#1: Reincarnation

I'll start with the melancholic songs first. EmoCosine's entry into the rhythm game DEEMO, I really like it when producers with usually colorful and energetic songs go emo (pun intended), and Reincarnation is quite emo, which is fitting for a piano-based rhythm game like DEEMO.

I first knew of EmoCosine's works because of SOUND VOLTEX, through the song VIVID DEBUT!, with its a bit challenging but fun chart.

#2: 傘想い

Still in the realm of melancholic songs, and in one of the two works in this post with a VTuber as the singer, we have Amaki Okome's 傘想い (Kasa omoi). The song has technoplanet in charge of the music, and has the sounds I recognize from technoplanet's style, although in a more melancholic context.

I also first knew of technoplanet's works thorugh SOUND VOLTEX, in this case it was Inscape from HEAVENLY HAVEN. technoplanet has been featured on KAC contests twice, first with Awakening as an Excellence Award in The 7th KAC, then Redshift 2nd Ignition as a Prize Award in The 9th KAC.

#3: ペトリコールを渡って

Next is a song from Denonbu, a mixed-media project I'm actively looking at. ペトリコールを渡って is produced by Aiobahn, and sung by Mitsuki Seto, voiced by Sister Cleaire.

The song is a lot more melancholic compared to Aiobahn's usual works, but the drop is the usual one. Sister Cleaire's voice is also phenomenal here, I really love her voice and I am finally pulled into Nijisanji livers. I also liked how the vocals sounded in relation to the music. Aiobahn may not be at their best when making this song, but this sure delivers.

#4: Butterfly

Next is a song that I put here because it's a change of pace from the usual stuff I heard in Love Live. Kanata Konoe's anime solo song is a kawaii future bass song. Music-wise, Butterfly is the usual stuff you'll find around kawaii future bass. However, the fact that the song is a kawaii future bass song is still surprising for Love Live despite the electronic-sounding songs it already has.

Nijigasaki songs compared to other Love Live series songs have quite the different mindset in mind, with a lot of focus on solo songs, and a lot of variety of sounds for each character's song.

#5: Jaime ft. Jaime Brooks

Lastly, a song from Anamanaguchi, part of the SUMMER SINGLES 2020 series. I has always liked Anamanaguchi's combination of electronic sounds and bands, and it shows in this latest song with Jaime Brooks.

I first knew of Anamanaguchi from Porter Robinson, another producer I'm a fan of, and I really liked their [ U S A ] album.

That concludes the second post of Music Highlights. I plan to make the next Music Highlights post a bit harder in sound, so stay tuned!