Kiriko

Since 2009, he has been active as the guitarist and vocalist of THE Love Human, continuously setting new benchmarks for Tokyo indie while releasing diverse solo works that transcend genres, incorporating folk, jazz, rap, drone, contemporary classical, and sound art. In 2025, he gained renewed attention by participating in the Haruomi Hosono tribute album "Music of Paradise." Now, after a year and a half, his free-spirited strange pop returns in full color on his sixth album.

Shifting away from the world music sound of their previous work, Penguin Resort, this album features a collection of simple yet profoundly evocative songs that gently capture the subtle emotional fluctuations of everyday life, all within a remarkably orthodox band sound. The light funk song "Ghost Starting Today" imagines a quarrel between Kenji Endo and Sly Stone in heaven; the folk-country-tinged "Just Not Knowing"; the synth-pop track "Someone Like That" singing of a lover beyond comparison; and "Uncle is a Musician," celebrating the joy of his niece's growth-all these songs possess a magical expansiveness within their simple motifs. The title track "Rock'n'Roll Kiriko" is the crowning jewel, showcasing Kohei Kaneda's roots: simple songwriting, evocative lyrics, and vocals that seem detached at first glance yet reveal passion and madness beneath.

As a record enthusiast, Kohei Kaneda meticulously captures his deep affection for all music across East and West throughout the ages. This culminates in the completion of ten tracks that seamlessly blend his role as a purist.