Behind the artist name Kishi Bashi , the multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi is known for creating captivating indie-folk songs. He has just released the first single from his upcoming album, Kantos, which is set to be released at the end of August.

The expressive and epically swelling track, "Colorful State," serves as an introduction to a more expansive sound from the American songwriter. The song celebrates the complexity of life, exploring the constant, shifting flow of happiness and uncertainty, and everything in between. The musician himself describes the song as:

“This song is a warm embrace of that inevitability of change, and that for every sunset, there will always be a sunrise the next morning.”

He produced "Colorful State" himself, while Tucan (Hot Chip, Jungle, Aluna) mixed it and Drew Vandenberg (Faye Webster, of Montreal, Toro y Moi) served as the recording technician.

The new album, Kantos, comes after last year's soundtrack for the documentary. A Song film by Kishi Bashi: "Omoiyari".

Kantos cultivates duality through festive songs about the possible downfall of humanity. It swings between being disturbing and ecstatic joy and is significantly different from the symphonic folk songs on Omoiyari.

On his fifth studio album, Ishibashi incorporates everything from Brazilian jazz, 70s funk, orchestral rock to city pop (a Japanese genre that peaked in the mid-80s). His inspiration is drawn from diverse sources such as the science fiction cult classic series Hyperion Cantos, the philosopher Immanuel Kant and a visit to the ancient ruins of Crete.

Ishibashi found the energy in the songs in a slightly more modern context. He revisited the spirit of the early 2000s, where he played in the indie rock band Jupiter One, and brought a noticeable drive into the new songs. He talks about the nostalgic flashback:

“Being immersed in that whole scene in New York in the 2000s was very formative for me, and a lot of this record was heavily influenced by bands like The Rapture and LCD Soundsystem.”