February 26, 2026 — Weekly Bullet Reviews
Have a great Lunar New Year? Make it greater with these tunes…
As always, some ground rules:
- These songs are listed in no particular order.
- Basically these blurbs are our rough first impressions of these tracks, so our reviews will be a lot more relaxed!
- Anything released from the past 3 weeks/month is eligible for a bullet review.
- Songs with new, recent music video releases will also be considered for a weekly bullet review.
Justin: Suuuuuuuuuu. My mans Omega Sapien is throwing out krapow and Thai lyrics. Third eye opening, enlightened bars full of movement and falsetto. But honestly the biggest highlight is all the references to Kung Fu Hustle in the music video. I’m going to cook my next meal to this song.
C: Between Balming Tiger and contributing to KiiiKiii’s latest hit “404”, Omega Sapien has released a new solo single! Breathy yells flow into martial drum rolls and tinny horns, like shaolin mixed with obnoxious traffic. Sapien’s solo work tends to be more abrasive and confrontational than when he’s in the mix with Balming Tiger but the spirit of the absurd banger has never left.
Li-Wei: Helpppppppp that car horn sample had me knocked out for the first 20 seconds before I got Kapowwwwwww’d back into reality. Omega Sapien knows how to have fun.
Justin: An arousing 9 minute track that sprouts from downcast existential indie twang to splashy Phil Collins drums, then harmonies floating down into the canopy field recordings of a jungle, then what sounds like a plane descending and/or railroad tracks rolling back to group sung “everything’s alright”. It’s like the anxiety, commute, and regulation cycle in one song. Hard to compare, emotionally dense, attractively vulnerable.
C: “Bodies” is a suite in a compact nine minutes. The music video is perhaps more a visualizer than a highly produced video, the members of Ira Dot rolling on blue and white paint in matching overalls. The cyclical transformation of the video mirrors the many transitions of the track; there are moments of thrumming industrial noise atop swirling, bubbly synths and others that are closest to ambient field recordings. Even through the sound, Ira Dot’s voices cut through. The wailing of “We are all our bodies (bodies, bodies, bodies)” and the eclectic chorus singing “I see bodies, you say everything’s alright” is intimate, as though they couldn’t be closer to your speakers. The lyrics are a curt poem playing with homophones but its lack of verbosity feels like blunt force trauma.
Li-Wei: I don’t think I expected any of the twists and turns that this sprawling 7 minute track had to offer. From vocalist Eddy Wang’s lyrical yowls to the tribal-invoking pulsing drum beat that the song makes space for midway, “Bodies” is an intriguing piece of music that invokes influences from Daniel Johnston to… the come-together feel-good spirit of early era Arcade Fire. It’s actually kind of great.
Justin: Stringy, bounding, soft, sentimental melodies. Well realized and cleansing like sun on your face and wind throwing your hair. Special shout out to the bass on this one, so slick. Listen to this with your best headphones. My track of the week.
C: Out of curiosity, I looked into the significance of the boa and blackberries that appear on the cover. While not the consensus, occasionally blackberry bushes can create a thicket for rodents to hide in which attract snakes, perhaps it’s the tension of being attracted by something you do not eat that is being alluded to. It would certainly be fitting, “Boa” plays with an electric folk that centers one-sided affection — predatory, even. Bong’s repetition of lyrics like “wrapped around” across different contexts builds the snake theme across the track.
Li-Wei: Mumbly feel-good indie pop that belongs in an indie coming-of-age film. Pretty promising debut!
Natanya – “Ur Fool (ft. Unflirt)”
Justin: A summer track that’s landed here early. I get a lot of Macy Gray from this song’s tone and delivery. Duet is fun and cute. I wish there was more to latch onto but it’s a fine tune especially since I’m a big Unflirt fan. This can be on Degrassi.
C: “Ur Fool” has an aesthetic nostalgic for 2000s indie movies about high schoolers falling in love. It’s simple, almost to a fault, and so cute you might miss the darker undertones portrayed by Natanya asking her lover not to leave her or the need to be ‘their fool’.
Li-Wei: Natanya and Unflirt have such similar singing styles that it’s hard to tell them apart here, which kind of means that the song feels a bit crowded. The hook is nice though, maybe I’ll save it for the summer playlist.
mypilotis – “the way i see you”
Justin: A high dose of kicky indie rock. FFO of Phoneboy and The Happy Fits. A lot of sweet, tender, bright eyed energy from this one.
C: New dose of indie rock goodness. The video is so absurdly charming.
Li-Wei: Upbeat indie for the MP4-blog era. It’s nice to be transported back to when things were a lot simpler…
Justin: Plaintive acoustic singer songwritership sailing tweely on the quirky ocean in swinging ¾ time. A lot of fun when the flute, cello, guitar, and the tiny percussion are folding in at the end. A little Haley Heynderickx, a little Laufey, a little Regina Spektor.
Li-Wei: I love whimsical indie pop, and this one delivers! If this were released 12 years ago, I would’ve definitely heard it on Sara Bareilles/Kate Nash Pandora Radio channel, a key factor that shaped my music taste. This song has really, really sad lyrics, but it sounds wondrous.
Justin: Math rock is usually a technical showcase, to which “sona” is no exception. What stands out the most to me are the airy vocals that blend in and out of the finger picking and melodic 7/4 runs. It’s a combo that is well balanced like soda ice, creating memorable, concentrated musical moments. I also really appreciate the individual credits for each band member in the middle of the music video. We need more of this! Tell me who you are!
C: Plash piques my curiosity with “sona”. The count in of the video, use of Futura and explicit title cards for each member, “sona” is an explicit introduction to Plash as a band. Their sound is math-y and repetitious, looping guitar arpeggios but with crashing cymbals and blurry-thick chords. It reminds me of a heavier, less acoustic toe with the vocals of South Korean soft rock. Super excited to see more!
Li-Wei: I can imagine this killing it at a grungy SXSW show. Wow!
Justin: I really like Luke Chiang’s deep voice and the chorus on “say that!”. I don’t get too much else from this track, but I’m excited to hear more. Also, that Jesse Barrera co-sign thoooo.
C: It’s interesting to hear Luke Chiang with super maximalist production, it’s almost pop-y in its use of reversed sounds (sort of reminds me of Jack Ü). Chiang’s baritone sets him apart in his niche but, if anything, the production of “say that!” gives me the feeling it won’t age very well.
Li-Wei: The deep-voiced Luke Chiang doesn’t stray too far from the R&B-pop formula that he built his name on so this is an inoffensive listen, but I’m ready for Luke Chiang 2.0 whenever that may happen.
Header photo taken from the press material for mypilotis – “the way i see you”.
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