Today and Tomorrow

Kotobuki Hane 8th Album: "Today and Tomorrow" Release Date: 2026.02.15

"It's still too early for dawn to pack away the memories of Yesterday."

While the heat of her previous masterpiece Slow and Then has yet to cool, Kotobuki Hane drops her 8th original album, Today and Tomorrow, with an astonishing one-month turnaround. While the previous work was a euphoric "peak of personal taste" inspired by Now and Then, this new EP reveals a sharper, more private "underside of daily life." The visual aesthetic pays homage to the infamous "Trunk Cover" of The Beatles' Yesterday and Today-the version pasted over the banned "Butcher Cover"-effectively converting that historical tension into a modern portrait of isolation.

The journey begins with "Kinkou no Resonance - Equilibrium -". Starting with a serene melody, it quickly erupts into the most powerful, high-voltage rock anthem of the album. To close the circle, the album ends with "Kinkou no Resonance - Momentum -", which sweeps through with a light yet relentless sense of speed. These two "Equilibriums"-identical in title yet polar opposites in energy-anchor the beginning and end of this record.

The emotional core lies in "Blue Moon Crisis -Little sister ver.-", the third iteration in the series. This version distills the essence of both gentleness and strength, intensifying the dramatic evolution of the track. Carrying a profound personal message like its predecessors, her soft, whispering vocals permeate the listener's consciousness with what can only be described as a "third wave of impact."

The lead track, "NO REASON MIDNIGHT GLOW," captures the essence of the album, themed around the pale light of a room at 4 AM and delivering a highly addictive pop sound infused with both sweetness and toxicity. In "Kotaeawase o Yoake madeni" (Answering by Dawn), she portrays a scene of inescapable introspection against a cruelly refreshing city morning. Here, she explores a direct and raw perspective on love-a theme previously untouched-delivering a definitive "one-shot answer" that proves her expressive range has reached a new plateau. This is followed by "Sanctuary XX," a track that blends EDM with ethnic sounds to create a sense of aggression that destroys her own sanctuary. Together, these six tracks expose a "Today" that cannot be settled with platitudes.

Sitting atop a trunk with a self-mocking finger to her temple, Hane's cover art asks: Is this stagnation, or a preparation for escape? She brilliantly converts the surreal dissonance of The Beatles' classic into a modern-day solitude. Shifting from the radiance of her last work to the truths hidden in the shadows, Today and Tomorrow is a hauntingly beautiful "unsettling masterpiece" from Kotobuki Hane.