Kazu is readying her first solo LP Adult Baby for release on September 13th via her new label Adult Baby Records. After forging her musical career with Blonde Redhead, the vocalist/multi-instrumentalist is now venturing out with her own musical project and record label. Today, we watch Kazu’s video for “Salty,” filmed and edited by Paride Ambrogi and Jonas Ranner.
Kazu Makino’s story is a fascinating one. The musician and fashion icon was born in Kyoto, Japan to a young unwed couple, neither of whom can remember on what date or in which hospital Kazu was born. In a recent interview with Raffaella Oliva, the musician explains: “I had a very rough childhood: it may have been the most dangerous time of my life.”
Makino would go on to move to Tokyo, exchanging Kyoto’s ancient past for the bustling energy of the big city. At 18, while enrolled at university in Tokyo, she met the American painter, musician, and actor John Lurie who convinced the young student to drop everything and move back to New York City with him. Accepting the dare, though unable to speak English, she relocated to the United States where she immersed herself in music, art, and urban life.
At Lurie’s behest, Kazu began to work with the Italian twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace. In her interview with Oliva, she explains: “At first I was perplexed because they were into jazz, but we all know how it turned out.” Indeed, together with Simone and Amedo, Blonde Redhead would go on to release nine albums, coming to define indie dream pop in the late 90s and early 2000s.
However, sometime in 2017, Kazu began to feel an “inner malaise” that led her to strike out in new directions. Run down by her life in New York city, Makino moved to the Italian island of Elba, using her Mediterranean respite to launch a new solo creative venture. Describing the experience, she says: “It all flowed so naturally, I don’t think I’ve ever made a record with such serenity: I’ve always suffered a bit over music, but this time I felt different, as if I’d started living again.”
While Adult Baby features the artist’s musicianship and extraordinary vocal abilities, she is also joined on the album by a host of other excellent musicians including Ry%u016Bichi Sakamoto, the Brazilian percussionist Mauro Refosco, as well as drummer Ian Chang. In addition, Kazu produced the album alongside Sam Griffin Owens.
“Salty” provides us our first listen in on the upcoming LP, and it shimmers in ever-evolving waves of ethereal pop. The singer’s voice is lithe and playful, radiating warmth and a new found confidence. Meanwhile, analog synth, piano, various tape loops, and percussive elements create a spell-binding atmosphere. Kazu stars in these new visuals for the track as she effortlessly takes center stage against a backdrop of sun and sea.
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