Today London-based artist Hinako Omori has announced details of her forthcoming debut full-length album, a journey…, to be released on March 18th through Houndstooth. The release will be celebrated with a special performance on March 19th in the Purcell Room at London’s Southbank Centre accompanied by London Contemporary Orchestra.
Today she has also shared the album’s title track “A Journey“, where gauzy voices drift and gather across electronic plains, describing it as “a journey through the cartography of the mind, piecing together past events which seem to appear differently each time – revisiting memories, and healing cognitive distortions”
The accompanying video, created by Emi Takahashi, captures the peaceful essence of nature and soothing glow found within the music. Takahashi comments: “The video is an ode to the lush and immersive soundscape. Inspired and guided by nature, the collected footage captures environmental glimpses that evoke fragments of personal memory. A risograph-printed analog treatment echoes the voice in fleeting moments.”
Listen to “A Journey” and watch the video for it below:
a journey… was recorded at Omori’s home studio and Real World Studios, when Omori was an invited to perform at the immersive online festival WOMAD At Home. Before the mixing session she headed out into the surrounding landscapes, capturing field recordings with a binaural head. These spatial, 3D recordings are woven throughout the album, and situate each track in different environments, from waterways to forests in and around the Mendip Hills. “I’ve been thinking a lot about shinrin-yoku – forest bathing,” explains Omori. “Being in that environment reduces stress levels, it’s good for well-being, improving our memory and concentration, boosting our immune system and lowering blood pressure, among many other benefits – I wanted to incorporate that into the album.”
Omori is also fascinated by the physical and psychological effect of frequencies. “I’m very interested in sound therapy, brain entrainment and how certain frequencies can put our brain in certain states – alpha, beta, theta, delta,” she explains. “Delta (0.5-4Hz) waves for example are said to contribute to deep restorative sleep and healing, and theta (4-7Hz) to creativity, intuition and emotional processing.”
a journey… artwork & tracklist:
1. Spaceship Lament
2. A Journey – Official video
3. Ocean
4. Will You Listen In
5. Heartplant
6. Levitation
7. (Nature Reset Gap)
8. The Richest Garden In Your Memory
9. Yearning
10. Snow