NATSUMI (Director's Cut)

Returning to the "solo" stage, Kohei Kaneda sings songs that are purely his own, free of any embellishment or ulterior motive.

This full-length album, his first in three years, marks a sharp departure from his previous work, "young apple", which featured entirely acoustic performances. Instead, it was recorded in Kaneda's bedroom in a highly personal manner, with a focus on track production.

Opening lightly with the title track "Natsumi-chan", this album embodies the approach Kohei Kaneda has long pursued: "singing exactly what happened."

In other words, these 17 tracks, steeped in ego and lust, stubbornly cling to the idea of being a "documentary".

Without ever settling on a specific theme, he repeatedly created and destroyed, until finally returning to a "lonely" plain, where he sang a song that was purely his own, devoid of any embellishment or ulterior motive.

Even after completion, no theme, concept, or message emerged. The result of simply recording what was there, exactly as it was, is a record that stands as far removed as possible from neatly organized, lowest-common-denominator music, or the lies found in photos of McDonald's menus. It is a record that, to some, might feel like a devil or an angel.

Being a singer, being someone's lover, being a friend or a son. Praying to remain happy.

This is an album that Kohei Kaneda dedicates to himself, one that may never reach anyone's heart.