The inimitable and borderless Japanese poet and singer-songwriter Nanaco Sato has shared a new single titled “Lust – Love Underground”. The track follows her recent single “A Bullet Hole In My Ear”, both of which are taken from her new album “LUST”, which is out next Friday (25th September) via London analog specialists Gearbox Records (Knats, Art Blakey, Robin Katz, Liza Lo, Elliot Galvin).
The single also follows the release of the album’s lead track “A Rolling Stone From Heaven”, which was released in April and featured a guest contribution from the late British guitarist John Renbourn of renowned British folk-rock band Pentangle and was accompanied by a B-side which sees the track remixed by Simon Ratcliffe of Basement Jaxx.
Today’s new single was the first song recorded for the Nanaco Sato’s new album. Speaking on the track, Nanaco Sato says, “We came together at Matrix Maison Rouge Studios in London: Dan Boutwood and Susumu Osada on guitar, James Denham on bass, and Charlie Price on drums. Susumu came from Japan, and Dan brought along his friends James and Charlie.
I had brought a lot of lyrics with me, and during the sessions I would choose one depending on my mood of the day and whatever inspired me in that moment. I would show the lyrics to the musicians, and we would record the songs as live sessions, discovering the music together.
“LUST – Love Underground” was the first track we recorded. The moment I heard Dan’s opening guitar, I thought, “This band is amazing.” I love the dark, grungy atmosphere of the song, its delicate, lyrical quality, and the incredible sense of momentum running through it”
Having sat in Sato’s closet for 29-years, the new album was recorded across 1996-97 at Maison Rouge, the album captures not only Sato’s truly eclectic nature but also a snapshot of spontaneous, jam-session recordings that feature a vast array of estimable musicians such as Danny Cummings (Dire Straits / Bryan Adams), Brinsley Ford (AZWAD), Dan Boutwood (Iannello), James Denham (Addict), Charlie Price (Scissor Men), and many more.
Tracks here span everything from abstract jazz vocals (“Love Trip”), Tibetan folk (“The Sorrow Of The Wind”), and psychedelic pop (“Mad Memories”) to global rhythms (“Angel Whispers Midnight”), avant-rock (“A Dirge For Coral”), undulating sitars (“Never Ending Love Letter”), funk-rock workouts (“Hell’s Bloom”), and much more. It’s a record that defies neat categorisation, and speaks to both Nanaco Sato’s prolific and explorative musical career, as well as the unconstrained way in which it was conceived.
Going on to speak about the writing of the album, Nanaco Sato says, “I brought lots of poems I’d written, chose one based on how I felt in the moment, showed it to everyone, shared a few keywords about the kind of song I wanted next, and we recorded as we jammed. ‘LUST’ is a complete dream recording, it was incredibly thrilling and fun. I’m sure everyone involved – the late John Renbourn, engineer Akira Fujii, and the now-defunct legendary studio Maison Rouge- would be delighted.”
“LUST” IS OUT 25TH SEPTEMBER VIA GEARBOX RECORDS – PRE-ORDER HERE
More information about Nanaco Sato:
Born in Tokyo in 1955, Nanaco Sato’s unique, coquettish hushed voice saw her become a pioneer of the Shibuya-kei movement (an eclectic Japanese pop microgenre from the mid-to-late 1990s, originating in Tokyo’s Shibuya district). A fount of creativity, Sato has been releasing music for over 45-years with a discography that has seen her work with the likes of Nippon Columbia, EMI Japan, and Bella Union, collaborating with Cocteau Twins’ Simon Raymond, who produced her 1998 album “”Luminous Love In 2023”. Further collaborations also saw Sato work with the likes of Japanese luminaries such as Moonriders, Kazuhiko Kato, and Pizzicato Five, the latter of which she had a worldwide hit with (“Twiggy Twiggy”).
In addition to Nanaco Sato’s ongoing musical career, Sato is also a skilled photographer and filmmaker, having lived in Paris for 5 years making short films, she also studied film making at New York University. Ever the renaissance woman, she has created advertisements and commercials for Nissan, as well as working for numerous musical publications, and creating artwork for other artists.
Sato also regularly performs in a jazz- and rock-oriented trio with guitarist Susumu Osada, who also appears on “LUST”.
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