Summer Breeze Cassette Tape

Academic BANANA, who just released Foundation / Ame no Yō na Hito on September 15, 2025, has surprise-announced their new work, Natsukaze Cassette / Thank you Yoko.
This summer, their hosted event Last Summer Party 2025 was held across three cities nationwide. On the final day in Hiroshima, Natsukaze Cassette was performed for the first time, and it clearly follows the lineage of tracks from last year's 2nd EP BLUE JEANS, such as "Aoharu" and "Kaze no Yukue." It is truly a song that captures the band's proof of having lived through this summer.
The retro motif of a cassette tape evokes fragments of unforgettable summers. "Fragments of summer" blend pain, affection, and tenderness. For each listener, it resonates with personal memories and shines brilliantly, like the sun reflecting on the sea. It vividly expresses the impulse to hold onto a season as it fades away.
On the other hand, Thank you Yoko is a heartfelt message song from vocalist Tomoki Saito to his mother. Its simple, yet characteristically humorous word choices leave a lasting impression.
Natsukaze Cassette is unusually short for recent J-pop, clocking in at just over three and a half minutes. Its fleeting nature mirrors a summer that has passed, while simultaneously allowing the warmth of hope from the next season to shine through.