Faux Départ

We’re glad to welcome Tori Kudo back to A Colourful Storm with a new edition of Maher Shalal Hash Baz’s Faux Départ. It captures a US tour ending in a session at Dub Narcotic Studio with a one-off group including Greg Saunier, Chris Cohen, Andrew Maxwell, McCloud Zicmuse, Arrington de Dionyso, Takashi Ueno, Saya Ueno, Naoki Otani, Akiko Hotaka, and Masaaki Endo.

True to form, it was spontaneous and unrehearsed, music that feels beautifully close to falling apart. Tori Kudo recalls flying to the US for a show with Red Crayola in Los Angeles, staying with Rick Potts, then heading north with The Curtains, writing melodies en route before recording them in Olympia in 2026.

Greg Saunier remembers Chris Cohen as a devoted Maher fan, and describes supporting the band on a West Coast tour with The Curtains. Seeing Tori Kudo up close, he found an artist who often led by not leading: unpredictable, eccentric, and completely singular.