Kaho Matsui

(This article's English version was produced with AI-assisted translation)

A new step for Kaho Matsui, a Japanese artist based in the United States, whose discography stands out for its unconventional diversity. A varied approach, shaped by a subtle but constant element: bedroom experimentation. Not so much bedroom pop, but rather the desire to get lost between laptops and physical instruments, creating a language that floats between intimacy, lunacy and a playful, spontaneous attitude. Between touches of indietronica and traces of avant-folk, Matsui’s sound moves through emo ambient territories as well as IDM-like expressions, finally coming together in this work, where post-folk nuances are given depth by a languid, slightly cybernetic vocal presence.

More cohesive than previous releases, the album gives the word amateur its most positive meaning: that of passion turned into gesture, of expressive urgency coming before polish. It marks a clearer step forward compared to the uncertain “S / T” from 2022, which, in its attempt to flirt with drill’n’bass aesthetics, showed breaks that were not always convincing. Here, the arpeggiated acoustic guitar over field recordings (“Under”) feels like a more mature solution, as do the dream pop openings of “Eyesore”, carried by a soft but slurred vocal treatment, even if the mix does not always do them full justice.

There are also more curious choices, such as the almost electroacoustic manipulations that run through much of the album, or the inspid nasal vocal inflections on the title track. The main critical point seems to lie instead in the mixing, deliberately rough, perhaps too much so, and close to a digital DIY aesthetic. The ideas are many, and they surface like fragments of a restless dream, but the release sometimes feels like a demo still waiting to be fully focused. A poetic approach that recalls Parannoul and that, given the nature of the songs themselves, seems to call for greater rigour in order to turn intuition into a fully realised vision.

23/01/2026