Style: jazz fusion, progressive rock, vaporwave, djent (instrumental)
Recommended for fans of: Rush, Snarky Puppy, Sungazer
Country: Japan
Release date: 5 January 2026

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The Linnean name for humanity, Homo sapiens, translates to “wise man” in Latin.¹ “Wise” is certainly a good descriptor for the only species we’re aware of which has built civilizations, walked on the moon, and created fish-and-chips-flavoured gelato. But I’d argue that a great descriptor is not Homo sapiens, but Homo curiosus—curious man. Curiosity is a prerequisite for wisdom. Behind every piece of knowledge humanity has accumulated, there is a person thinking “I wonder if…” That innate human curiosity is the impetus behind both the creation and the discovery of music, which is really convenient for us here at this music review blog.

In that spirit of curiosity, I booted up² my computer and started the search for something compelling; something which my colleagues here at The Subway hadn’t yet brought to anyone’s attention. (Because half the fun of learning something new is discovering it yourself and getting to take credit for the discovery.) When I stumbled upon this unknown Japanese group, Tomoe Magvs, I paused. Their sophomore EP, Zelren, caught me off guard. Could this be the amazing discovery that I could (respectfully) rub in everyone’s faces? In the words of Lionel Richie, “[Tomoe], is it [you I’m] looking for?”

Separating the wheat from the chaff is a free service that we at The Subway provide to you, the reader. We sift through a bunch of junk in hopes that a diamond will jump out at us, and that’s exactly what Zelren did mere seconds into its opening track, “Star Road”. The Rainbow Road-inspired synths-and-drums climb quickly gives way to the briefest moment of scratchy, distorted guitar before breaking into a landscape of dreamy synths, mechanical drums, and driving bass. Less than twenty seconds in, we’ve already had a crescendo and snippets of multiple, distinct genres. “Star Road” sets the stage for an EP that has no business covering as much ground as it does (but it does anyway).

What kind of music do you like? Shut up. It doesn’t matter. Whatever tickles your fancy, you’ll find it on Zelren. Fans of Rush will appreciate the energetic walking basslines in “Star Road”, as well as the bridge in 5/8 about two-thirds of the way through the track, which is not too dissimilar, spiritually, to “Jacob’s Ladder”. Listeners of Frank Zappa will recognize the main melody of “Quazars”, which bears a resemblance to “Uncle Remus”. The off-kilter rhythm at the beginning of “Divine Intervention” might interest fans of Stromae, particularly his track “Santé”, though the rhythms and guitar tone of much of the rest of the track are not unlike something you might hear at a Tool jam session—until we get to the bossa nova bridge, that is. Zelren isn’t as heavy as Between the Buried and Me, but if you like the band’s abrupt left turns, this EP will go down a treat.

But Zelren sits in a musical uncanny valley of sorts. At times, it is engaging, well-composed, and has a depth of instrumentation that makes it feel professional. At other times—like at the start of “Quazars”, which features a lone synth with a tone like something you would expect in a spa (or a recruitment video for a cult)—there is a transparency, a lightness that feels more accidental than not. But that (perhaps unintentional) thinness makes the thick parts of the track hit that much harder when they do arrive. “Quazars”, with its djenty middle third and conclusion, definitively delivers that intensity where it’s desperately needed.

Curiosity led me to plumb the depths of the Internet in search of new music, and that curiosity led to wisdom: the wisdom that Tomoe Magvs‘s Zelren kicks ass. It’s not a perfect EP. There are places where amateurism pokes its head through, but those missteps are trees among the forest, forgotten as soon as they’re passed. Zelren is an incredibly strong sophomore effort, a musical journey through curiosity and its fruits, and an album that deserves a spot in your regular rotation.

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Recommended tracks: Divine Intervention, Zelren
You may also like: Everything Yes, Cocojoey
Final verdict: 8/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Instagram

Label: independent

Tomoe Magvs is:
– José Monterde (composition)
– Cubebass (production, drum kit)

1. Not “wise ape”, which is a common misconception. ↩︎
2. Why does nobody say this anymore? We used to be booting here and booting there, but lately there is a distinct lack of booting. Let’s bring it back. ↩︎