Kantos

Kishi Bashi presents his 5th studio album, Kantos, which encompasses everything from Brazilian jazz, ’70s funk, orchestral rock, and city pop. The album features rapper-activist Linqua Franqa and saxophonist Augie Bello.

The latest full-length from Kishi Bashi, Kantos, is a work of exquisite duality. It is a party album about the possible end of humanity as we know it, at turns deeply unsettling and sublimely joyful. This album is a sonic departure from the symphonic folk of his critically lauded 2019 LP, Omoiyari, and encompasses a wide range of genres.

Kantos is influenced by a mix of inspirations including the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th-century enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, and a revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete. The album ultimately serves as an unbridled exaltation of the human spirit and all its wild complexities.

During the earliest stages of creating songs for the album, Kishi Bashi intended to return to his eclectic musical roots by tapping into his jazz background and exploring dance-rock-leaning sensibilities. However, the songwriting process took an unexpected turn when he stumbled upon an AI-equipped website capable of composing catchy song hooks based on a prompt. This event catalyzed the existential inquiry at the heart of Kantos.

Despite the album's focus on AI, transhumanism, and humanity’s fate, Kishi Bashi views Kantos as a celebration of the characteristics that make us human: desire, passion, empathy, and love. He hopes that listeners will feel excited about the possibilities of human-created art and believes that humans will always be one step ahead in terms of creativity and innovation.

For fans of ELO, Shintaro Sakamoto, Vampire Weekend, Sufjan Stevens, Alex G, Mitski, Sylvan Esso, Steely Dan, of Montreal, Regina Spector, Fleet Foxes, Hot Chip, The Flaming Lips, Alex Cameron, Andrew Bird, Local Natives.