Photo credit: Cornelius / Instagram
Cornelius, the influential Japanese musician known for his pioneering work in the Shibuya-kei genre, has revealed the details of his upcoming album, Refractions. This marks his debut on the Eat Your Own Ears label, following a recent Yōsui Inoue cover and announcement of a new label deal. The album is set to be released on August 19.
Featuring an impressive lineup of collaborators, Refractions includes contributions from Arto Lindsay, known for his work on Cornelius‘ ‘Bad Advice’ and ‘Mind Train’ tracks, former Yura Yura Teikoku guitarist Shintaro Sakamoto, Bid from the British punk band the Monochrome Set, and Sean Ono Lennon. The album’s first single, ‘Aeons,’ featuring Lennon, is available for listening now.
Keigo Oyamada, who goes by the stage name Cornelius, first gained fame in 1989 as part of the indie-pop duo Flipper’s Guitar. He launched his solo career in 1993 and rose to international prominence with his 1997 album, Fantasma, which combined rock, electronic beats, and heavy sampling. Over the years, his work has evolved into intricate minimalist sound design seen in his albums Point (2001) and Sensuous (2006). Cornelius is also renowned for his remixes for well-known artists such as Beck and Blur.
Ono Lennon, who has previously collaborated with Cornelius in iterations of the Plastic Ono Band, reflected on their new partnership. “As the world and my surroundings changed at an intense speed, I think all of that inevitably shaped this work,” Cornelius stated. “Rather than expressing these ideas directly, I approached them structurally, exploring continuity, transformation, and multiple coexisting states within a single, uninterrupted flow of time.”
Fans can look forward to seeing Cornelius perform live, with upcoming tour dates in Japan and London to be announced.
