It was only a year ago that JunIzawa, the moniker and solo project of LITE‘s forever funky bassist dropped Milestone, a lean but mean debut that punched way above it’s weight, finding validity in both the electro and math rock scenes.
Considering how much has happened since then, we’re actually pretty surprised to see a new Junizawa record, but we’re far for complaining – hell, we’re actually ecstatic.
We need all the momentum we can get, and funnily enough, momentum seems to be the perfect word to describe the principles of Haunt. Check it out below:
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Haunt is propulsive, but that’s no surprise given the nature of Milestone. However, what sets this one apart is how it weaves the separate elements together, resulting in a more cohesive journey. Haunt‘s DNA filled to the brim with funky jungle and DnB just like its predecessor, but it’s just as spliced with funk, math rock, dance, house music, and more.
The single “Waken” is a great example of how JunIzawa assimilates these genres in equal parts, and also a glimpse into what a keen hold on sonic aesthetic he has. He’s not just blending touchstones like jungle or electro-swing, he’s keeping up with the production chops UK garage and Y2K bops like Pinkpantheress and berryblue, not to mention a host of other scenes throughout the duration of haunts.
Who knows, a year from now we could very well be writing about a very similar situation, where we not only have new JunIzawa but LITE as well. Remember, they put out Strata last year not long after Milestone, so just to reiterate, Haunts was and is a surprise delight for the summer of 2025 that we don’t think anyone expected. But as fans of both math rock and electronic music in all its forms, we can’t recommend Haunts enough.
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