POST-MODERN POP ICON CORNELIUS RELEASES "TOO MUCH LOVE FOR SAUNA (FALLING DEEP)"
SECOND SINGLE AND VIDEO FROM AMBIENT ALBUM ETHEREAL ESSENCE OUT JUNE 26
REVEALS ALBUM ARTWORK
PRE-ORDER 'ETHEREAL ESSENCE" HERE
WORLD TOUR HAPPENING NOW - DATES ANNOUNCED THROUGH FALL 2024
INCLUDES END OF THE ROAD FESTIVAL (UK), THE BARBICAN (UK), FONDA THEATRE (LA) + MORE
Download Album Assets HERE
"Airy and intricate" -Aquarium Drunkard
"The Japanese pop-rock-electronic-everything musician finds his way onto my sunbathing-playlist every year."-WXPN
"Beautiful" - Stereogum
For Immediate Release – (Tokyo, Japan) May 24, 2024 – Following the resounding success of Cornelius’ enthusiastically received comeback single, “Sketch for Spring,” the post-modern pop iconoclast releases “Too Much Love for Sauna (Falling Deep)” single and video from his highly-anticipated forthcoming ambient longplayer, Ethereal Essence – the latest turning point in an already legendary career that spans genres and eras with aplomb and vigor.
“Too Much Love for Sauna (Falling Deep)” unfurls like a fractal melody from an otherworldly music box, layering delicate tones and textures organically, enveloping audiences in a sublime experience. The piece also has a fun story behind it.
“This song was written for the TV drama, SADO, and has been used as the opening theme since 2019,” Cornelius says. “In the past few years, there has been an unprecedented sauna boom in Japan, and the original manga was the spark that ignited it. I was a fan of the artist and decided to take charge of the project. The single we are distributing this time is a newly arranged version that expresses the psychedelic ecstasy of the sauna more deeply.”
A noticeable shift in direction from his famed hopscotch pop style to a more meditative and abstract approach, Ethereal Essence marks Cornelius’ first full-length album since the critically acclaimed Dream in Dream (2023), and Mellow Waves (2017) LPs. Dream in Dream’s singles and videos – "Change and Vanish”, “Sparks” and "All Things Must Pass" – were received adoringly throughout 2023.
Reflecting on the evolution of his sound, Cornelius explains, “I gathered songs that have an ethereal feel from the various purposes for which they have been produced over the past few years and I decided to make one album. With the current strange situation in the world and the stressful social life, I feel comfortable with something that fits into the introspection and spiritual world. Last year, I exhibited my work at Ambient Kyoto in Kyoto with Ryuichi Sakamoto and others.” In addition to Sakamoto and Cornelius (whose collaboration wowed audiences and critics), the prestigious festival also included Shiro Takatani, Buffalo Daughter, and Seiichi Yamamoto, a noteworthy lineup overflowing with genius highlighting Kyoto’s significance in the world of music and art.
Cornelius’ current focus is nothing new. The songwriter, producer, and performer has been a fan of ambient music his whole life and includes Raymond Scott’s “Soothing Sounds for Baby,” Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Music for Nine Postcards, Jonny Nash’s Exit Strategies, The Sweet Enough’s Marshmallow, and Steve Hiett’s Down on the Road by the Beach among his favorite ambient albums of all time.
The upcoming 30th anniversary tour in support of Ethereal Essence features Cornelius’ 20-year compatriots Hirohisa Horie on keyboards (also a support member for Yukihiro Takahashi’s Yellow Magic Orchestra) and Yuko Araki on drums (also a member of Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band along with Cornelius); and Buffalo Daughter’s Yumiko Ohno on Moog and bass, who joined Cornelius in 2016 on his indelible Fantasma World Tour. Cornelius and his band will be playing songs from his five previous albums since 1992, beginning with the landmark LP Fantasma. He encourages old fans and new to experience this next wave in sound in person. “We are grateful to everyone who has supported our activities. Please come and see us.”
U.S. West Coast Tour Dates
9/21/24 - Music Box - San Diego, CA
9/22/24 - Pappy & Harriets - Pioneertown, CA
9/24/24 - Fonda Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
9/25/24 - UC Theatre - Berkeley, CA
9/27/24 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, OR
9/29/24 - Neptune Theatre - Seattle, WA
World Tour Dates
8/29/24 - End of the Road Festival - Salisbury, England
9/3/24 - Paradiso - Amsterdam, Netherlands
9/6/2024 - Barbican - London, England
Ethereal Essence Track List:
1. Quantum Ghost
2. Sketch For Spring
3. Heaven Is Waiting
4. Too Much Love For Sauna (Falling Deep)
5. Xanadu
6. Koko
7. Step Into Exovera
8. Forbidden Apple
9. Melting Moment
10. Mind Matrix
11. Windmills Of My Mind
12. Thatness and Thereness - Cornelius Remodel (Ryuichi Sakamoto 2023 tribute cover)
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