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Today, New York City-based Japanese producer and musician rei brown releases second single, “Thinking Bout You,” out everywhere now, featuring fellow rising Japan-born musician, Joji, where they yearn to be closer to their loved ones. A visualizer to accompany the single plays with the sci-fi theme of the track, taking listeners on a ride to space. Along with the single, rei brown announces the release of forthcoming full-length album, Xeno, due out July 8, 2022, available for pre-order now. Plus, the musician has already begun a sold-out North American tour with keshi. Check out the tour teaser here.
Continuing on the science-fiction themes of the last release and a soundtrack for long distance love, “Thinking Bout You,” dives deeper into the cinematic, dreamscape world he has begun to build. rei brown explains, “I wrote my part mostly in the context of a long distance relationship. There are hints in it that suggest it takes place in a different more sci-fi reality.” The spacious, otherworldly track hopes to keep the two together as they confront their issues and the distance between them asking, “We’re ascending barely hanging on / What’s this planet that we’ve landed on?”
The chorus sets the scene for the track, depicting the pain of remaining in a long distance relationship. Rei reassures his partner that even though he has to leave, they remain on his mind, singing, “Barely made my flight / We were up all night / Now I’m thinking ‘bout you / When you look to the sky / In the middle of the night / know I’m thinking about you.” Longtime friends and collaborators, rei and Joji connect on the track to do what they each do best–invite listeners into a safe, loving place where they can freely be themselves and find themselves in a world where they may not always feel accepted.
The latest single marks the second collaboration for the pair, after rei joined Joji on his 2019 BALLADS1 Tour and later made an appearance on the singer’s 2020 album Nectar, with a feature on “Normal People.” The album also debuted at #1 in Australia and in the top five in New Zealand and Canada. Nectar has been praised as “a work of art and euphoria” by Ones To Watch and called Joji’s “best to date” by The Needle Drop. With assists from acknowledged icons and new trailblazers alike, including Diplo, Lil Yachty, BENEE, and Yves Tumor and over 5 billion streams to date, Joji is one of music’s most exciting up-and-comers.
“Thinking Bout You,” follows rei’s previous ethereal single, “Could I Be Somebody” alongside its mysterious, sci-fi-themed video set in a surreal dreamscape. The synth-ballad delicately explores young love and queer identity, laying the foundation for what’s to come from rei. Queerty lauded that the track, “Took us off guard with the ways it manages to evoke youthful feelings, especially the sneaking suspicion that our attraction to a person of the same sex wasn’t quite the same for anyone else,” while A Journal of Musical Things said it, “beautifully juxtaposes a huge sound with intimate lyrics.”
Xeno, the upcoming alt-pop, highly-anticipated LP from rei brown, is an honest, nuanced exploration of identity and queerness, filled with hints of sci-fi and cinematic nostalgia sprinkled over 15 tracks. It is in this deliberately crafted world that rei is able to better understand who he is and who he may become, bringing a fast-growing legion of listeners along with him. Xeno, rei says, comes from his experience feeling othered and speaks to the xenophobia experienced throughout his life. It reclaims otherness as something to be proud of, something to be loved and celebrated, rather than something to be ashamed of. Explaining the origins of the title, rei says, “I think the word Xeno is essential, it’s why I named the album Xeno. It’s how I’ve related to the world for most of my life — as other, a foreigner, a stranger. Songs talk about being metaphorically and literally being an alien.” Rei encourages listeners to bring their own meaning and perspective to Xeno. “I think people can make Xeno mean whatever they want it to mean to them, but that it is an experience that a lot of people can relate to in one way or another.”
Rei brown has already begun his North American tour with fellow alt-pop musician keshi which kicked off on May 11th in Dallas, TX and will conclude on June 24th in Houston, TX–find a full list of dates below. It includes two Los Angeles dates, two Atlanta dates and two New York City dates and has already sold out.
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