juche is a colorful and relaxing little musical project that came to my attention shortly after I did that Macintosh Plus review. In that video, I questioned the legitimacy of a genre label like vaporwave, and led to a lot of comments and dramaaaaaaaaa.

I did, however, get an interesting message from someone informing me of another up-and-coming musical style called “metro-ko.” At the time I wasn’t really in the mood for a “new genre,” but what I heard on this particular Bandcamp did stick with me. For all intents and purposes, juche is an ambient music project, but it’s ambient music that’s playfully textured with cute synthetics and samples. There’s nothing about the music that’s overtly gripping or forceful, but its light, charming electronics do create a really attractive palette of sound.

There are lighthearted glitches that remind me of the folktronica that dropped in the early and mid 2000s, and there are glittery drones like “dead hand station” on here as well. Most of the tracks on this self-titled release are relatively short and easy to take in. Drift off for a moment and relax.