As a solo artist and a member of shape-shifting Tokyo outfit Never Young Beach, Yuma Abe is always searching for new ideas. His second solo album Hotel New Yuma was inspired by the “humor and sex appeal” of Japanese cinema from the 1950s and ’60s and the simpler times they were set in, with the project taking the form of nine jingles from a fictional variety show from this era. “I wanted to go back to that time,” he shared when the album was announced. “I wanted to touch and smell it. But that was not possible, so I decided to create my own version.”
Due to his dedication to this concept, pre-War Japan can very nearly be felt and smelled in the singles leading up to Hotel New Yuma. Today the second track from the project drops in the form of the cool and breezy “Friend,” a track marked by funk bass lines, tight percussion, and an infectious chorus. “This song is about how I live my life and encounter many things,” Yuma shares through a translator, “and even though they don’t go well and I get swept away, they are wonderful gifts and I always need them—so let’s enjoy them and love them instead of hating them! I get excited because it’s not easy to be happy and have fun! This song is about how sometimes it’s fun to walk through a storm.”
Walk through the storm with the (interactive) video below, and check out Yuma’s upcoming tour dates here.
