NEWS
Kishi Bashi shares new single 'Icarus IV' via Joyful Noise + tour dates and tickets
17 June 2024
Kishi Bashi today shared his glittering and groove-driven new single ‘Icarus IV,’ off his forthcoming album Kantos, due out August 23rd via Joyful Noise Recordings.
The song was sparked from his reading of Madeline Miller’s Circe (a 2018 novel set in the Greek Heroic Age) and by his journey to the site of Icarus and Daedalus’ mythical flight from Crete. ‘Icarus IV’ is accompanied by a music video–written and directed by Kishi Bashi–inspired by 16-bit side-scrolling adventure games, and featuring pixel art character and animations by Kalengo Phiri and AlonelySpirit.
Kaoru Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) explains: “This song always spoke to me visually of an epic journey. And with my love of animation and video games, I decided to spin an alternate tale of Icarus, set in the a fantastical psycho-Greek world where it heralds the trials of the return of the prodigal son, Icarus, who has come back after abandoning his band to seek fame and fortune in a solo project. While the story may or may not be autobiographical, the feelings may be relatable to those who have left and those who have been left behind. I hired talented pixel art character animators and edited and animated this video. This can be seen as an extension of my Omoiyari ‘song film’ concept, where I believe the vision for the song extends beyond just the music and into the visual realm.”
‘Icarus IV’ follows the epic, expressive, prog-tinged lead single ‘Colorful State.’ Kishi Bashi will tour extensively in support of Kantos this fall, across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. A current itinerary is below. Kantos is available for pre-order here.
Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his 2019 album Omoiyari—a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II—the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer’s fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and ’70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-’80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations—the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete—Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities. “At a time when so many people had begun to panic about AI and what it might mean for our future, I started working on this record as a way to explore the concept of grounding ourselves in our humanity,” says the Santa Cruz, California-based multi-instrumentalist. “The album title is a nod to Hyperion Cantos and to Immanuel Kant, but it also refers to ‘canto’ meaning ‘I sing’ in Spanish. The idea is that even with so much technological advancement, songs are still something we very much rely on to connect with other people.”
Self-produced by Ishibashi and mixed by Tucan (Hot Chip, Jungle, Aluna)—and recorded at Chase Park Transduction with long time collaborator, engineer Drew Vandenberg (Faye Webster of Montreal, Toro y Moi), and British musicians Sweet Loretta—Kantos also features additional guest musicians including Zorina Andall (vocals), Augie Bello (saxophone), and activist/rapper Linqua Franqa.
Kishi Bashi Tour Dates
09/03 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
09/04 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
09/05 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk
09/06 - Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
09/08 - Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre
09/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Metro Music Hall
09/11 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
09/12 - Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
09/13 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
09/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theatre
09/17 - San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
09/18 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress - Plaza Stage
09/19 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Lensic PAC
09/21 - Houston, TX @ Last Concert Cafe
10/03 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/04 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/05 - Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
10/06 - Norfolk, VA @ The Annex
10/07 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
10/08 - Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/09 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
10/11 - Boston, MA @ Royale
10/13 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
10/14 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
10/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall
10/17 - St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
10/18 - Chicago, IL @ Outset
10/19 - St Louis, MO @ DelMar Hall
10/20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theatre
10/21 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/22 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
11/19 - Berlin, DE @ Hole44
11/20 - Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin
11/22 - Oslo, NO @ John Dee
11/23 - Stockholm, SWE @ Kulturhuset
11/25 - Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
11/27 - Cologne, DE @ Gebäude9
11/28 - Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
12/01 - Vienna, AT @ @ WUK
12/02 - Munich, DE @ Backstage
12/03 - Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
12/04 - Milano, IT @ Legend Club
12/07 - Paris, FR @ Le Hasard Luqique
12/08 - Brighton, UK @ Chalk
12/09 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
12/10 - Manchester, UK @ Academy
12/11 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
12/12 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
12/13 - Bristol, UK @ Thekla
The song was sparked from his reading of Madeline Miller’s Circe (a 2018 novel set in the Greek Heroic Age) and by his journey to the site of Icarus and Daedalus’ mythical flight from Crete. ‘Icarus IV’ is accompanied by a music video–written and directed by Kishi Bashi–inspired by 16-bit side-scrolling adventure games, and featuring pixel art character and animations by Kalengo Phiri and AlonelySpirit.
Kaoru Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) explains: “This song always spoke to me visually of an epic journey. And with my love of animation and video games, I decided to spin an alternate tale of Icarus, set in the a fantastical psycho-Greek world where it heralds the trials of the return of the prodigal son, Icarus, who has come back after abandoning his band to seek fame and fortune in a solo project. While the story may or may not be autobiographical, the feelings may be relatable to those who have left and those who have been left behind. I hired talented pixel art character animators and edited and animated this video. This can be seen as an extension of my Omoiyari ‘song film’ concept, where I believe the vision for the song extends beyond just the music and into the visual realm.”
‘Icarus IV’ follows the epic, expressive, prog-tinged lead single ‘Colorful State.’ Kishi Bashi will tour extensively in support of Kantos this fall, across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. A current itinerary is below. Kantos is available for pre-order here.
Kantos is a work of exquisite duality: a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. In a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his 2019 album Omoiyari—a career-defining body of work born from his intensive meditation on the mass incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II—the Seattle-born singer/songwriter/producer’s fifth studio album encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz and ’70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-’80s). Informed by an equally kaleidoscopic mix of inspirations—the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete—Kantos ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities. “At a time when so many people had begun to panic about AI and what it might mean for our future, I started working on this record as a way to explore the concept of grounding ourselves in our humanity,” says the Santa Cruz, California-based multi-instrumentalist. “The album title is a nod to Hyperion Cantos and to Immanuel Kant, but it also refers to ‘canto’ meaning ‘I sing’ in Spanish. The idea is that even with so much technological advancement, songs are still something we very much rely on to connect with other people.”
Self-produced by Ishibashi and mixed by Tucan (Hot Chip, Jungle, Aluna)—and recorded at Chase Park Transduction with long time collaborator, engineer Drew Vandenberg (Faye Webster of Montreal, Toro y Moi), and British musicians Sweet Loretta—Kantos also features additional guest musicians including Zorina Andall (vocals), Augie Bello (saxophone), and activist/rapper Linqua Franqa.
Kishi Bashi Tour Dates
09/03 - Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
09/04 - Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
09/05 - Austin, TX @ Mohawk
09/06 - Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
09/08 - Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre
09/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Metro Music Hall
09/11 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
09/12 - Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
09/13 - Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/15 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
09/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theatre
09/17 - San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
09/18 - Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress - Plaza Stage
09/19 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Lensic PAC
09/21 - Houston, TX @ Last Concert Cafe
10/03 - Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/04 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/05 - Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
10/06 - Norfolk, VA @ The Annex
10/07 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
10/08 - Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/09 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
10/11 - Boston, MA @ Royale
10/13 - Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
10/14 - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
10/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall
10/17 - St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
10/18 - Chicago, IL @ Outset
10/19 - St Louis, MO @ DelMar Hall
10/20 - Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theatre
10/21 - Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/22 - Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
11/19 - Berlin, DE @ Hole44
11/20 - Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin
11/22 - Oslo, NO @ John Dee
11/23 - Stockholm, SWE @ Kulturhuset
11/25 - Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
11/27 - Cologne, DE @ Gebäude9
11/28 - Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
12/01 - Vienna, AT @ @ WUK
12/02 - Munich, DE @ Backstage
12/03 - Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
12/04 - Milano, IT @ Legend Club
12/07 - Paris, FR @ Le Hasard Luqique
12/08 - Brighton, UK @ Chalk
12/09 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
12/10 - Manchester, UK @ Academy
12/11 - Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
12/12 - Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
12/13 - Bristol, UK @ Thekla
