Kumoyo Island

Kumoyo Island
Studio album by Kikagaku Moyo
Released	May 6, 2022
Recorded	November 2020 – January 2021 [1]
Studio	Guruguru Studio, Amsterdam Tsubame Studio, Tokyo
Genre	Psychedelic rock [2]
Length	48:08
Label	Guruguru Brain
Producer	Kikagaku Moyo
Kikagaku Moyo chronology
Deep Fried Grandeur (2021) Kumoyo Island (2022)

Kumoyo Island is the fifth and final studio album by Japanese psychedelic rock band Kikagaku Moyo. It was released on May 6, 2022 through the band's Guruguru Brain label.

Recording

Due to COVID19 lockdowns in Amsterdam, where the band was based, Kikagaku Moyo returned to Tsubame Studios in Asakusabashi, Tokyo. This is the studio where they had recorded some of their earliest material. The album was recorded over 1.5 months from November 2020 to January 2021. ^[1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	83/100 [3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Pitchfork	7.8/10 [2]
Uncut	[5]

Kumoyo Island received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 83, based on 4 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". ^[3]

Pitchfork described Kumoyo Island as a " farewell album that feels like both a reinvention and a culmination." ^[2]

Chris Deville of Stereogum said "it rivals 2018’s Masana Temples as the group’s finest album, and it may well be the most fun." Stereogum awarded it their Album of the Week. ^[6]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Monaka"	Go Tomo Guy Ryu	5:15
2.	"Dancing Blue"	Go Tomo Guy	6:14
3.	"Effe"	Go Tomo	3:22
4.	"Meu Mar"	Erasmo Carlos	6:07
5.	"Cardboard Pile"	Go Tomo Guy	4:06
6.	"Gomugomu"	Go Tomo	2:04
7.	"Daydream Soda"	Go	3:25
8.	"Field of Tiger Lillies"	Guy	1:19
9.	"Yayoi, Iyayoi"	Go Tomo	6:58
10.	"Nap Song"	Go	2:58
11.	"Maison Silk Road"	Ryu	6:20

Personnel

• Go Kurosawa - vocals, drums, percussion, guitar, flute/recorder
• Tomo Katsurada - vocals, guitar, percussion, cello, occasional horns
• Kotsu Guy - bass guitar, occasional rhythm guitar
• Daoud Popal - guitar, percussion, occasional drums
• Ryu Kurosawa - sitar, keyboards, synthesizers, piano, organ

Produced by Kikagaku Moyo
Tracks 4,5,6 mixed by Hideki Urawa
All other songs mixed by Yui Kimijima
Mastered by Soushi Mizuno

References

1. "Kumoyo Island". Bandcamp. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
2. Locke, Jesse (9 May 2022). "Kikagaku Moyo: Kumoyo Island Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 February 2025.
3. "Reviews for Kumoyo Island by Kikagaku Moyo". Metacritic . Retrieved February 28, 2025.
4. Thomas, Fred. "Kumoyo Island – Kikagaku Moyo". AllMusic . Retrieved February 28, 2025.
5. Thomas, Fred (13 May 2022). "Kikagaku Moyo – Kumoyo Island". Uncut . Retrieved February 28, 2025.
6. Deville, Chris. "Album Of The Week: Kikagaku Moyo Kumoyo Island". Stereogum. Retrieved February 28, 2025.