Singaporean, Boston-based artist-producer hongjoin has announced the release of his new album ‘KOMOREBI’, out May 10th. To celebrate the announcement, he has shared a new track titled “Second Gear”, a fun upbeat track perfect for introverts at parties.
hongjoin shares, “I wrote ‘Second Gear’ about the feeling of you not really wanting to be at a party but you kinda have to go because there’s this girl you wanna get to know more who will be there. I was super inspired lately listening to my favorite artists like Ginger Root and boy pablo, and I wanted to emulate the feeling of longing for someone and having eyes only for them in a very crowded room. So, a loser song for all my party people who just wanna dance!!!“
‘KOMOREBI’, hongjoin’s sophomore album and the biggest project of his solo artist career, is a 9-track album blending sounds of melancholic electric guitars, dreamy synthesizers, and soulful vocals. Komorebi { 木漏れ日 } is the Japanese word for sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees, and hongjoin hopes to use music to capture the emotions that this word invokes.
Drawing inspiration from his musical influences in both the Asian and Western worlds, ‘KOMOREBI’ is a representation of hongjoin’s desire to find harmony in life through his musicality. Born in Singapore, with roots from Taiwan and Japan, and now living in Boston, the 22-year-old’s sophomore album revolves around the theme of accepting the positivity that comes from being a dreamer, inviting the listener to embrace the unknown and open their heart – to take that leap of faith and choose love.
From heart-wrenching songs filled with yearning like “My Dream” and “Yesterday”, to upbeat songs that you can scream your heart out to about love like “Enough For Me” and “Second Gear”, listeners can expect to go on an emotional rollercoaster with the album.
hongjoin will be supporting Ricky Montgomery for his concert in Singapore on May 24th and will be playing a headline show on 9th June at the Esplanade Annexe Studio. Get updates on his shows here.
Fans can listen to “Second Gear” by hongjoin here.
