Japanese Australian city pop artist Jun Parker teams up with Chilean funk connoisseur Carlinhos, for the groovy new single 'All Because Of The Moon’.
It's a musical moment where Japanese retro sentimentalism meets Chilean funk – an interpretation of retro Tokyo sounds and city pop.
Things begin with a gliding guitar and a percussive shaker, in 18 seconds of atmospheric bliss to kick off the track. When the drums hit, the smoothness only continues as Jun describes the start of autumn and the feeling of tension between two people.
"The season is autumn. Early autumn in Japan has been historically known to create an oversized moon and thought to be the best time for moon-viewing,” Jun says.
“The flowers that tend to bloom in autumn are often purple-based and it is a colour that fills the autumn Japanese scenes. The narrator and the woman are closely associated with each other, but there is an inexplicable potentially awkward tension, whether that is imagined or tangibly real is not clear, but the narrator perceives this tension between them and is creating a mismatch between the emotions and expectations. The narrator questions himself about what he should do for this woman. This is the general thematic concept to the song."
The song is written in Japanese, and reflects Australian landscapes. It's soaked in rhythmic guitar riffs and synths – in something Jun labels as Funky Nostalgia. Wondering how this all comes together? Wonder no more - scenestr is stoked to be premiering the track below. Enjoy.
Listeners may have already seen Jun in music festivals across Australia and in Japan. He released his debut single ' Embracement' in 2022.
"I initially wrote this song and made the first demo with a slower groove, amalgamating influences from many '70s smooth and mellow groove artists both Japan and overseas, but most redolently from the Japanese '70s era of music,” Jun says.
“I have been performing this more acoustically-inclined version live with my fellow musicians in Victoria for some time now. I then started to send my demos around to record labels internationally and that’s how Carlinhos and we connected. The musical connection was instant and on point and thank you to Carlinhos we were able to rework the song into an even more quintessentially city pop song.
“And here we are, writing Japanese neo city pop songs from rural Australia, and produced in South America. I hope this offering does the genre justice and this global take on the genre stimulates a new movement that brings more listeners to appreciate not just the music but a chance to foster new connections between Japan, Australia and the rest of the world."
'All Because Of The Moon' is officially released 9 June. Jun Parker plays Metro Bakery (Mount Gambier) 9 June, Cafe Barloo (Portland) 10 June, Frolic Lane (Warrnambool) 11 June, and Leaps And Bounds Festival (Fitzroy Town Hall) 16 July.
