There isn’t a more natural rise to greatness than that of Japanese folk artist Ichiko Aoba.
She never particularly sought worldwide recognition, humbly toiling away in her native country on intimate, homegrown music, yet gradually came to be on of the genre’s leading figures, whispered about reverently among music nerds across the globe. How did she do it? Simply by putting out some of the best albums of her time period.
Masterworks such as 0 and qp brought her to the international stage, yet it was 2020’s Windswept Adan that finally catapulted her towards the very top of the Folk stage. Now, more than 4 years later, she’s finally set to return with another proper LP, Luminescent Creatures.
Naturally, her restless creative spirit would preclude a straight sequel to that victory, yet it did form the backbone of her new material. Aoba reflects, “Luminescent Creatures was born from Windswept Adan. It began when I started wondering what happened after the protagonist of [that album] disappeared along with the music of the island’s inhabitants. What would be left?“
So, then, she came to the seeming endlessness of the ocean. While doing field research in Japan’s Ryuku Archipelago, she was struck by both the tranquility and ferocity of the sea. “I feel unable to resist the pull of the ocean, but know how easy it would be for my small body to be swallowed by the sea.“
That duality came to inspire her latest work, displayed in the quiet serenity of Lumincecent Creatures‘ first single, “Luciférine”. Guided primarily by piano and tranquil strings, and, of course, Aoba’s achingly gentle voice, it reaches for unknowable beauty, placid and restful, yet nearly frightening in its vastness.
Check out “Luciférine” below, and look out for Luminescent Strings come February 28th, 2025.
2025 will also see Aoba embark on her most ambitious world tour to date.
