So yes, I’ve been somewhat stuck on the topic of bands breaking up or apart in the last while, but I would be remiss to not point out that some are also coming back out of extended hibernations. 宇宙ネコ子, aka Uchu Nekoko, aka Universe Nekoko, aka Space Cat, aka the mysterious Kanagawa dreampop duo wholly committed to manga avatars to hide their faces online, but will play shows without such precautions.

Their last album Hino Ataru Basyo Ni Kiteyo came out in 2022 and while they offered some satisfaction to their fans via a demo version of the record (which has been removed from Bandcamp but is still available on streaming services) in 2024, the wait for new material has been years now.

Of course, I missed their announcement on New Year’s Eve last year declaring “We’ll release an album in 2026!” so while their new single showing up last week may not have been out of the blue for those more plugged in, it caught me off guard in a very pleasant way.『Flowing In The Wind』arrived with the note “this is a new song we’re currently working on a new album” and while last time I wrote about the band I noted that they swung stylistically across their three albums that labelling them as just “dreampop” was a little reductive, I’m happy to report that the new single has everything you’d want from them – bouncily melancholic melodies and crunchy, shimmery guitars delivered with bedroom pop intimacy.

Welcome back, looking forward to more.