Selective Hearing’s Monthly Recap - September 2025

Content

I have made good on catching up on my backlog of reviews. I’m down to six outstanding articles to be published. I should hopefully get most of them completed and online before I head to Tokyo in mid-November.

Events

tripleS Alphie Alpha Percent World Tour 2025 Poster

September had me heading westward to see tripleS Alphie in Vancouver. Normally, I travel to the US for K-pop shows, so having a Canadian show on the West Coast made this relatively inexpensive for the most part.

I did end up going a bit over budget when it came to merch, but that’s ok. Chasing the signed OMAs was fun and forced me to get out and talk to people. The concert itself was a blast, and it was great to see another split-squad consisting of mostly new members I hadn’t seen on the last tour.

The after-show activities were a different story; I tolerated some of the disorganization for the sake of sharing the same air as my bias (Yooyeon). But if you want the full report, check out the article here.

Music

Remixes/Productions

I have no remixes posted for September. I will be posting something in October that I have been working on.

I’m also working on an R&B/pop ballad for a song request on SURF MUSIC. It has a long deadline, so I’m not putting all my efforts towards completing it quickly. Right now, I have the concept and story for the lyrics down, but no actual words on paper as of yet.

And the instrumental is still in its infancy, but I can now finish that part of the song efficiently, so I’m less worried about getting it done.

Below are my favourites from September 2025.

Albums

GIRLS2 NEW ERA Cover

GIRLS2 – NEW ERA

Ever since the idol bubble exploded many years ago in Japan, my attention has been diverted away from Japanese idols, and I am mostly arm’s length away from that entire world. That doesn’t mean I’m not totally out of touch, as I do keep an eye on what’s going on.

Which brings me to this album from Girls2. I knew of them through their collaborations with iScream, which is why I was willing to give New Era a shot. This was surprisingly good, featuring a variety of music types spread amongst the five main tracks, which include clubby EDM, bubbly girl pop, and R&B/Hip-Hop.

What was most unexpected was hearing a cover of Matsuura Aya’s Momoiro Kataomoi. The original version is one of Matsuura’s signature songs, and it was cool to hear a 2025 re-interpretation of it.

JAMES VICKERY JAMES COVER

JAMES VICKERY – JAMES.

I never heard of James Vickery before listening to this album, but I discovered his album, JAMES. It showed up on my Apple Music feed as recommended listening. I love me some Pop/R&B jams, and this album is full of them. While many of the tracks aren’t going to be pushing the limits of one’s speakers, they are great if you’re in the mood for something a bit more chill.

ME-I WHO I AM Cover

ME:I – WHO I AM

As I mentioned above, I am not watching the Japanese idols as closely as I did in the past. But, the group formed from the PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS season, ME:I, had my attention when I heard Sugar Bomb from their MIRAI EP. Since then, I have followed them, anticipating every release.

Their first studio album, WHO I AM, contains a great mix of catchy pop tracks (both new and previously released) that encapsulates the appeal of ME:I in a convenient package, making for a highly enjoyable listen from beginning to end.

SG LEWIS ANEMOIA Cover

SG LEWIS – ANEMOIA

I stumbled upon this album while browsing Apple Music for something to listen to. I have learned over the years that DJ/Producer albums can either be cohesive and immersive works or a complete trainwreck. This album is the former, characterized by its dreamy and warm feeling. With that in mind, Anemoia isn’t going to hammer you with incessant banging beats. Instead, it will take you on an emotional journey through the medium of dance music.