I was delighted to have this release sent to me. ICONA's new track 'Kono-Hito' upholds that Japanese tradition of acts creating exuberant, slightly odd music with a genius for pulling out an under‑the‑skin melodic hook.
As an Englishman who has adored Japanese music for decades, I felt that familiar thrill the moment the track’s restless pulse kicked in. ICONA blur synth‑driven pop with post‑punk tension, building 'Kono-Hito' around rap‑inflected agitation and sudden, dramatic melodic turns that feel both theatrical and playful. Then comes the spoken‑word passage - a stark, Italian Futurist‑inspired interruption - which shouldn’t fit, yet somehow becomes the track’s most daring flourish. At moments, ICONA sound like a wonderfully mangled hybrid of two of my greatest Japanese loves: the much‑missed Astro‑B and the undeniable masters, Yellow Magic Orchestra.
What resonates most is how ICONA’s decades of analog‑digital craftsmanship are channelled into something raw rather than polished for commercial comfort. Their blend of New Wave melancholy and avant‑pop experimentation nods to Sakamoto & co without ever slipping into imitation. 'Kono-Hito' feels like a signal fired outward - bold, literate, rhythmically unsettled - and a reminder that Japanese electronic music still has the power to surprise and completely captivate me. Grab it!
LINK: icona.bandcamp.com