[REVIEW] Kinoko Teikoku - Ai no Yukue

Kinoko Teikoku has been evolving from the start, from the thick shoegaze roots of their debut to the melancholy indie rock they've come to be known for. It's no surprise, then, that their latest album Ai no Yukue marks yet another stylistic shift for the band.

Ai no Yukue came without much fanfare. It was silently announced about a month ago, and was released without so much as a teaser, an MV, or even a single. This lack of commercial attention lends itself to the album's stripped-back vibe. Ai no Yukue isn't an exciting album, it doesn't have those dynamic dream pop waves the band is known for. There's no Chronostasis here.

Instead, Ai no Yukue sees the band at a very emotional turning point. These songs are heartbreaking, often hauntingly beautiful. Songs like Last Dance showcase lead singer Chiaki Sato's whisper-thin vocals at their most vulnerable. In contrast to the punchy instrumentation of the group's last album, it's fairly stripped-back and gentle this time around.

In a way, Kinoko Teikoku have gone back to the compositional style of their shoegaze roots while holding back the massive waves of reverb. The best example of this is on 畦道で, which is a re-imagining of a track from Kinoko Teikoku's 2011 夜が明けたら demo. Sato's crooning "I hate you" is one of the most endearing-yet-heartbreaking moments of the band's history, and it sounds absolutely gorgeous in this latest version.

The closing track is Crybaby, which was released earlier this year as a digital single. It's the album's closest thing to a massive shoegaze piece, and a beautiful closer.

Overall, Ai no Yukue isn't Kinoko Teikoku's BEST album, but it might be their most heartbreaking. The band are hitting the most severe emotional lows in their career. Sato sounds, in a word, hurt. She sounds absolutely hopeless. That said, it IS a beautiful album. Kinoko Teikoku haven't lost their touch, and have once again shown that their immense talent knows no bounds.

​-Justin

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