Eiko Ishibashi returns on March 28 with her new album, Antigone, for Drag City. This is the follow up to a series of acclaimed soundtracks that she created for director Ryusuke Hamaguchi: Drive My Car and Evil Does Not Exist. It is her first since 2018’s The Dream My Bones Dream in which she utilizes more traditional song structures. Ishibashi is joined on the record by drummer Tatsuhisa Yamamoto, bassist Marty Holoubek, Norwegian accordionist Kalle Moberg, singer ermhoi, percussionist Joe Talia, and Jim O’Rourke contributing Bass VI, synths, and other assorted instruments.
This shift toward more recognizable forms is evident in lead single “Coma”, an ephemeral pop pageant filled with wobbly rhythms and Ishibashi’s airy voice, with the pernicious rumble of an accordion seesawing in the background. It’s an indication of her current direction and one that gives her room to broaden her already considerable musical perspective. The lyrical details revealed here — “covered with ashes, long winter”, “candle and soap / hold onto them tight and opposite gravity” — are literate, evoking grand soliloquies and erudite novella narratives.
Watch the video below.
Antigone is due out March 28 via Drag City. You can pre-order the album here. Follow Ishibashi on X and Instagram.
