Selective Hearing's Monthly Recap - April 2025

Selective Hearing looks back at April 2025.

May 25, 2025

Content

Three months into 2025, and things are going okay. The Diaries of an MZ Generation podcast has changed, as Justin has left the show. So, for the foreseeable future, Ellis will be alone or with special guests.

How that will affect the posting schedule is unknown at this time.

Events

There's nothing to report here.

Music

Remixes

For the first time in a while, I didn't have a remix completed for the end of the month. But there's a reason, which will be revealed in next month's recap.

Below are my favourites from April 2025.

Albums

FIFTY FIFTY - DAY & NIGHT

FIFTY FIFTY 2.0's second EP (third overall for FIFTY FIFTY as a group) was Day & Night. The album is full of catchy pop songs led by the uber-cutesy title track Pookie and the sub-tile track Midnight Special.

The real head tuners on the album were Work of Art and Heartbreak, which display this version of the group's vocal prowess.

ME:I - MUSE

ME:I are one of the few current Japanese idol groups that grabs my attention every time they drop a new release. MUSE is the group's third single. Its self-titled lead track is a funky piece of dance-pop that is an instant attention grabber.

Generally, everything tends to fall off once you get past a meaty title track such as MUSE. But that is not the case here, as each of the b-sides has its unique vibe that makes it worth listening to the entire single front to back.

SAKURAZAKA46 - ADDICTION

When I saw this album's length, I dreaded listening to it at first. It's normal for 46 groups to have overlong albums, but 24 tracks is a bit excessive, even for idol groups.

However, Addiction is divided into seven sections, making it easier to absorb. Its content consists of material from Sakurazaka46's fifth single (Sakurazuki) up to their eleventh single (UDAGAWA GENERATION), so most of it is familiar to those who follow the group closely. Seven new songs are also spread throughout the album.

I don't follow the 48/46 groups as closely as I did in the past, so an album like this is a great way to catch up on their most recent releases in one shot. Even though this album is somewhat long in the tooth, it is one of the better mainstream Japanese idol albums I have listened to this year. I'm glad that Sakrurazaka46 continues to have quality output, unlike some of their contemporaries in the 48/46 world.

Songs

These are the singles or album cuts that caught my ear in April.

BAND-MAID- Ready To Rock