Mayuko - Songs To Whistle When Strolling Along The Abyss (2024)

Living things are soft and flowing, hardened things become lifeless. This symbol can be found in nature. And it also plays a role in Mayuko's music.

The trio, consisting of Michelle Cheung, Kasia Kadlubowska and Rebecca Mauch, is releasing its debut full-length album on 26.01.2024 on Sinnbus. "Songs To Whistle When Strolling Along The Abyss" is the name of the album, and that's exactly what it's supposed to be: A companion for listeners walking along the abysses of life.

Mystical and at the same time firmly anchored to the ground, Mayuko create their own sound aesthetic on their debut album that breathes and lives for itself. Their musical role models range from Björk to Sophie Hunger and Bon Iver. The three artists draw inspiration for their new album from everyday situations, their subconscious and their dreams. The album was produced by Chris Gajny, with all three musicians working alongside him as co-producers.

Michelle (vocals) comes from Canada and has Chinese roots, Kasia (drums) is of Polish origin and Rebecca (bass) comes from Germany. Like three different rivers, the musical and thematic visions of the three musicians flow playfully into each other, complementing each other and creating a musical safe space. They create this safe space for each other during the songwriting process in the studio, everything that sounds good can be tried out, and the album emerges from this free space. Song after song, a powerful energy builds up, flows on to the listener and constantly moves into a new form.

The result is empowerment anthems such as "Force", which celebrates sisterhood and authenticity and appears as the first album single on the record, including a lovingly and profoundly narrated music video. "If ever you feel defeated remember unbroken lines / show your light, your strength and your spirit, you are the essence of power and energy / you are a force."

Despite all the depth, the three musicians always want to maintain a balance with the lightness of making music. "We want to balance a centre, the keyword is flexibility," says Kasia. Rebecca explains: "’Dance With Blue’ is about the element of water and its ambivalence; it's this soft, gentle element and at the same time it can suffocate you. A wave can push you down and a current can pull the rug out from under you. It's both." It's about areas of tension, about opposites and complementary elements. Like soft sounds in a screaming world, like the times we live in.

"Somehow, this album was also a lot about the question of how to stay mentally healthy and in touch with yourself with everything that's happening in the world right now," says Kasia. And Rebecca adds: "Everything private is political, even if we are not an activist band in that sense, we want to serve the subtle tones and bring beauty into a world while being very aware of the abysses." "Here too," says Kasia, "it's all about flexibility."

Playful lightness meets depth, the supernatural complements the natural and the result is an album with recognition value. Mayuko create something new and elusive: "Songs To Whistle When Strolling Along The Abyss" is a powerful and melodious plea against black and white thinking and in favour of softness in a hard world.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Mayuko - Force (4:09)
1.02 - Mayuko - Cholericly Yours (4:13)
1.03 - Mayuko - New Moon (4:29)
1.04 - Mayuko - Human (3:22)
1.05 - Mayuko - Simmer (5:15)
1.06 - Mayuko - Mother (Interlude) (1:13)
1.07 - Mayuko - Mother (3:53)
1.08 - Mayuko - White Heat (3:17)
1.09 - Mayuko - Dance With Blue (4:15)
1.10 - Mayuko - Salty Waters (3:32)
1.11 - Mayuko - Clearness (2:44)