Anamanaguchi is a four-piece band from New York and Los Angeles made up of Peter Berkman, Ary Warnaar, James DeVito and Luke Silas. They program and perform intensely emotional digital pop music, and they also once sent a slice of pizza into space...

Anamanaguchi formed in the mid-2000s and are pioneers in the homemade, video game world of chiptune music. Using hacked Nintendo hardware, their earliest releases were distributed on NES cartridges you could play. 2010 saw them create the official soundtrack to the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World game. Their debut album, 2013's Endless Fantasy, was a successful Kickstarter funded project.

Chiptune is a genre you'll love or hate, probably depending on your age. For some it will bring forth waves of nostalgia, as even though you haven't heard these songs before, a lot of the sounds will instantly reminded you of old console games.

[USA] is bursting with upbeat tracks. A lot of these are instrumental, but songs like 'On My Own' have wonderfully quirky vocals that make it seem like an American version of K-Pop.

The one aspect of this album which really won me over was the sheer diversity on offer. Those expecting Mario Bros. tings and bleeps will be surprised to discover there's a lot more maturity here than you'll be expecting. Thematically there are plenty of memorable tracks. It's also great to listen to whilst playing console games.

A refreshingly original album with nostalgia on tap.

9

Nick Smithson