Tomo Katsurada – “Zen Bungalow”

More good news out of the Guruguru Brain camp today as Kikagaku Moyo’s Tomo Katsurada announces a solo debut. The mini-album, Dream of the Egg, arrives as part of his new Future Days Shop endeavor, a 7” along with an illustrated picture book that serves as a collaboration between Katsurada and Shoko Otake. The piece takes inspiration from a ‘20s children’s book, Yume No Tamago. The first single from the project is “Zen Bungalow,” a cover of Gabriel Yared’s theme song from the film Betty Blue (37°2 Le Matin), though the song has been re-contextualized through a new arrangement that was derived from a dream in which Katsurada heard a hazy blend of songs from the soundtrack. The instrumental pads in quietly before building to a strident guitar burndown by the end. It’s both a delicate departure and a reminder of the KM guitarist’s prowess. The mini-album arrives November 15th and will be released through book label Terry Bleu with pre-orders starting later in the fall.