New Decade is a studio album by Japanese musician Hiromi Moritani under the pseudonym Phew. It was released on 22 October 2021 through Mute Records. It received generally favorable reviews from critics.
Background Hiromi Moritani, better known as Phew, is a Japanese musician from Osaka. She started her career in the 1970s. She was a member of the band Aunt Sally.
New Decade is her first release on Mute Records since Our Likeness (1992). She recorded the album in her home studio in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The album consists of six tracks. As for the album's title, she stated, "Personally speaking, I've stopped being able to see a future that extends from the present."
Music videos were released for "Into the Stream" and "Days Nights". The album was released on 22 October 2021 through Mute Records.
Critical reception
Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "With vocals that range from whispers to wails and almost tangible electronics, noise, and guitar, the album's pieces frequently do sound unshackled from the temporal." Miranda Remington of Beats Per Minute wrote, "New Decade comes across as bleak, but it's deliberately restrained; its meditations cut through the real sentiments of our confusing years with the sincerity of a haiku." She added, "Especially amidst isolation and the uncertainties of modernity, we are reminded of the power of self-expression."
Accolades + Year-end lists for New Decade Publication List Rank AllMusic Favorite Electronic Albums The Wire Releases of the Year (2021 Rewind)
Track listing
Personnel Credits adapted from liner notes.
Phew – vocals, synthesizer, guitar, rhythm box, recording Hiroyuki Nagashima – rhythm (3), synthesizer, mixing Seiichi Yamamoto – guitar (6) Pete Norman – mastering Masayuki Shioda – photography Satoshi Suzuki – design
References
External links