Kishi Bashi – “Icarus IV” [Video]

Kishi Bashi today shared his glittering and groove-driven new single “Icarus IV,” off his forthcoming album Kantos, due out August 23rd via Joyful Noise Recordings. The song was sparked from his reading of Madeline Miller’s Circe (a 2018 novel set in the Greek Heroic Age) and by his journey to the site of Icarus and Daedalus’ mythical flight from Crete. “Icarus IV” is accompanied by this music video–written and directed by Kishi Bashi–inspired by 16-bit side-scrolling adventure games, and featuring pixel art character and animations by Kalengo Phiri and AlonelySpirit. Kaoru Ishibashi (aka Kishi Bashi) explains: “This song always spoke to me visually of an epic journey. And with my love of animation and video games, I decided to spin an alternate tale of Icarus, set in the a fantastical psycho-Greek world where it heralds the trials of the return of the prodigal son, Icarus, who has come back after abandoning his band to seek fame and fortune in a solo project. While the story may or may not be autobiographical, the feelings may be relatable to those who have left and those who have been left behind. I hired talented pixel art character animators and edited and animated this video. This can be seen as an extension of my Omoiyari ‘song film’ concept, where I believe the vision for the song extends beyond just the music and into the visual realm.”

“Icarus IV” follows the epic, expressive, prog-tinged lead single “Colorful State.” Kishi Bashi will tour extensively in support of Kantos this fall, across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom. A current itinerary is below. Kantos is available for pre-order here.

Kishi Bashi Tour Dates
09/03 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
09/04 – Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea’s Live
09/05 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
09/06 – Dallas, TX @ The Kessler Theater
09/08 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre
09/09 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Metro Music Hall
09/11 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
09/12 – Vancouver, BC @ The Pearl
09/13 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
09/15 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency Ballroom
09/16 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent Theatre
09/17 – San Diego, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
09/18 – Tucson, AZ @ Club Congress – Plaza Stage
09/19 – Santa Fe, NM @ The Lensic PAC
09/21 – Houston, TX @ Last Concert Cafe
10/03 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
10/04 – Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
10/05 – Charlottesville, VA @ Jefferson Theatre
10/06 – Norfolk, VA @ The Annex
10/07 – Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw
10/08 – Philadelphia, PA @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/09 – Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom
10/11 – Boston, MA @ Royale
10/13 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
10/14 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
10/15 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Music Hall
10/17 – St. Paul, MN @ Amsterdam Bar & Hall
10/18 – Chicago, IL @ Outset
10/19 – St Louis, MO @ DelMar Hall
10/20 – Indianapolis, IN @ Vogue Theatre
10/21 – Nashville, TN @ Brooklyn Bowl
10/22 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre
11/19 – Berlin, DE @ Hole44
11/20 – Amsterdam, NL @ Tolhuistuin
11/22 – Oslo, NO @ John Dee
11/23 – Stockholm, SWE @ Kulturhuset
11/25 – Copenhagen, DK @ Vega
11/27 – Cologne, DE @ Gebäude9
11/28 – Prague, CZ @ Cafe V Lese
12/01 – Vienna, AT @ @ WUK
12/02 – Munich, DE @ Backstage
12/03 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F
12/04 – Milano, IT @ Legend Club
12/07 – Paris, FR @ Le Hasard Luqique
12/08 – Brighton, UK @ Chalk
12/09 – London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
12/10 – Manchester, UK @ Academy
12/11 – Dublin, IE @ Button Factory
12/12 – Glasgow, UK @ SWG3
12/13 – Bristol, UK @ Thekla