Kyoto At Night is an artist out of Phoenix Arizona who deserves far more recognition for the extent of their range. The scope of their sounds is immense, with little left to be desired.
While alternative might work for now, limiting Kyoto At Night to one genre is something that I don’t believe to be beneficial. Your average person may think of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tame Impala or Nine Inch Nails as alternative. While they technically were at one point, I think that the label has become more or less unattached to the sonic traits of the music, and is becoming more associated more with a sound that is simply not the mainstream and that embraces a “do-it-yourself” mindset that is prevalent in Arizona’s underground scene.
Worry. is an album by Kyoto At Night that I first heard when it came out in 2024, and started writing this review. I felt so compelled to find the correct words to describe it that it has been in progress since. I’ve listened to the album numerous times, in numerous settings, and each time I find something new I like about it. The production is experimental, and the choices made to use live instruments in combination with digital ones are bold and well executed.
A mixture of spoken word, singing, and yelling provides a diverse soundscape far from the plague of monotony. The dynamic contrast between the extremes, the oscillation between redline and calm is everything and more.
The single, Jarring, came out just before the album on May 1st 2024. Its title serves as a warning, the drums captivating with the guttural scream at the end putting one final stamp on the point.
The outro is what sounds like a Memphis sample morphed into a dreamy DJ Screw-esuque mix, ending with fully redlined audio.
The intro “Hello, Fatigue” is a track I have come back to frequently since the projects release this summer. The guitar chords are almost hopeful, with a shaker in the beginning and some percussion instruments spaced throughout the lead guitars weaving melodies, you can tell right away that you are in for a treat.
Tired of monotonous routine. Waking up daily with bile in my throat. Tasting like a septic tank cocktail. Disgusting.
Kyoto At Night on Hello Fatigue
Corduroy features a drum loop with a gritty mix, and what sounds to me like a vocal choir sample but could also be chops of Kyoto’s own voice. The background vocals, experimental mixing, and evolving guitar sounds make this one especially addicting. This level of experimentation is tough to find in such quality, or with dynamic delivery. I find Kyoto At Night incredibly good at bringing diverse sonics to their music which keeps me listening to find out what might happen next.
What sets this album apart from the other alternative albums you have heard is the amount of beat switches with experimental sounds. You can skip through any song and it sounds different all the way through, giving each track immense listening value and repeatability. If you find yourself tired of the same old monotonous routine, listening to the same 5 albums until your ears are numb, and you need a palette cleanser go ahead and give this project a listen.
Never Worry. is available on Kyoto At Night’s Bandcamp, is a project that builds on the ideas presented in Worry. with a different take on it, using Forbidden Gleam as a translator turning the anxiety built up in Worry. and releasing it in the form of a Dance EP with inspiration from Noise and Ambient artists.
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