The Fader recently premiered a new mixtape from Kyoto’s shadowy Noah, an artist signed to Flau (home to similar whisper-friendly acts such as Cuushe and Cokiyu) who in the past has worked closely with the American producer SELA and “vapor-rapper” Siddiq. All attention will soon be on just her, however, as Mood functions as a bit of a preview of her debut album, Sivutie, out this summer.
Noah’s music sounds out of time, many of the songs on Mood coming off like they have a layer of dust collected on them. This mixtape leans a bit more towards jazz than her older material…saxophones have popped up at times in her sound, but here they intersect with splashes of dusty guitar and bass, lending songs such as “Plerumque” an especially faded vibe. Save for one appearance from Siddiq — the solid “Ascension,” boasting one of the more melancholy beats Noah has ever constructed, despite playing out over a brag rap — part of Mood’s charm lies in how disjointed it can sound, with Noah’s airy voice drifting in all sorts of directions. Listen above.