Bingkai Karya – Ichiko Aoba presents “SONAR,” the final single from her anticipated album, Luminescent Creatures, out February 28th via hermine. As the album’s emotional core, the track positions sonar (sound navigation and ranging) as a metaphor for finding human connection amidst the depths of loneliness. “SONAR” features a delicate veil of shimmering synthesizers that serve as the backdrop to a simple arrangement of just Aoba’s voice and a keyboard highlighting the song’s poignant lyrics and elegant melody.
Aoba sings: “Beyond the darkness, a glimmer of /somebody’s voice / I am here, although / I know not where, and yet / I hear it.” Here, her own voice is low in the mix as if suppressed by insurmountable depths. An echo of Aoba’s voice creeps in, reverberating like the graceful song of a marine mammal trying to find its friends.
Accompanying the song is a stunning video directed by longtime collaborator Kodai Kobayashi. The video weaves together intricate CGI with elaborate stunts, creating a visually captivating experience that perfectly complements the song’s emotive power. Led by contemporary artist and actor Norimizu Ameya, the narrative tackles themes of loss head-on for a subtle yet nuanced message about the nature of human connection. Filmed across multiple locations in Japan, the video offers a cinematic deep dive into Ichiko’s world.
In recent years, Ichiko Aoba has tapped into the full breadth of her ability, marrying the classical guitar of her earlier work with lofty orchestral sweeps. Her previous album, 2020’s stunning Windswept Adan, was praised by the likes of Pitchfork, The Guardian, The Needle Drop, and beyond, becoming a word of mouth breakthrough and earning the adoration of fellow musicians abroad, including Japanese Breakfast, Mac DeMarco, Laufey, Owen Pallett, Caroline Polachek, Weyes Blood, and Black Country, New Road.
Luminescent Creatures opens an even wider portal into her mind, exploring the origin of life with dreamy musical vistas. Her compositions have become more grand, her songwriting more refined, yet her ability to make listeners feel like they’re in a private cosmos alongside her remains as strong as ever.
While visiting Japan’s Ryukyu Archipelago and conducting field research, Ichiko was enamored by the boundless beauty—and occasional terror—of the ocean. The sea is immense and ancient, mirroring the harsh conditions that life sprang forth from—but it is also reminiscent, housing a deep record of fossils that once swam through its waters. She’d go diving with only the breath in her lungs, submitting herself to the whims of the tides. “I feel unable to resist the pull of the ocean,” Ichiko says, “but know how easy it would be for my small body to be swallowed by the sea.” That contradiction, gentleness and power, instilled a sense of awe that is expressed in the soundscapes of Luminescent Creature.
Ichiko’s arresting solo performances are unassuming yet utterly transfixing. Ichiko’s 2025 world tour in support of Luminescent Creatures will bring her back to the UK in March and April to play her biggest London headline show to date at The Barbican, which is now already sold-out. Exclusive to London, Ichiko will perform the album in full together with producer and co-writer Taro Umebayashi for the first time ever out of Japan, joined by the London based 12 Ensemble. She will also perform in Manchester, Glasgow, and Gateshead, before heading onto the US.
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