Elastine beats open Japan Man’s new single ‘Cautious’, a playful funk-influenced track which calls for extra care and understanding of other’s inner emotional and mental turmoil. As the Beirut-based emerging artist Letty Acra says: “Cautious is a song about desperately wanting people to understand the struggles one might experience within themselves. It’s a call for emotional intelligence in our counterparts and patience when it comes to getting into any sort of relationship with another.” As with fellow List Picks ‘Easy Target’ and ‘The Law’, we love hearing the perspective of the world as this 15-year-old musician sees it. Her wise-yet-vulnerable words are embedded in jangly pop melodies and a refreshingly under-produced recording style. The various textures really does make ‘Cautious’, and by extension Japan Man herself, stand out amongst the deluge of bedroom-pop makers. - Hannah Thacker