Hailing from the seaside communities surrounding Enoshima, a small island located 50 km southwest of Tokyo, Maya Ongaku is a collective of local musicians offering a transcending brand of earthy psychedelia.
The group have just released their debut LP Approach to Anima via Guruguru Brain, the label founded by members of Kikagaku Moyo, who Maya Ongaku supported at their final show in Tokyo last year. Here, malleable guitar and vocals, sinuous bass lines, floating woodwinds, and delicate percussion all coalesce into an aural experience that’s assertive yet abstract, calm but unsettling.
Watch the video for Melting below; a dreamy, delicate cut from the album, encapsulating the mellow and sunny-day mood of the record, brought to life with a beautifully shot day-dream vignette, directed by Itsuki Yoshizawa.
Maya Ongaku perform live at Le Guess Who? 2023 on Sunday, 12 November.
