Yoo-hoo

by Shintaro Sakamoto

Yoo-hoo cover art
  • Type: Album
  • Released: 23 January 2026
  • Label: Zelone
  • Country: Japan
  • Length: 43:49
  • Community rating: 3.22/5 from 4 ratings

Album Notes & Community Reviews

On his fifth solo album, 'Yoo-hoo', Shintaro Sakamoto crafts a diverse sound influenced by his international live performances, blending elements of funk, 60s soul, surf instrumentals, and nostalgic Japanese mood kayล. The arrangements, recorded with his core band, are both contemplative and danceable, layering minimalist riffs, psychedelic textures, and spacey brass sections. Lyrically, Sakamoto shifts from a distant observer to a participant within an uncertain world, using the titleโ€”a mountaineering call to signal one's locationโ€”to explore themes of communication and absurdity in the present moment.

Genres

Descriptors: male-vocalist, funky, melodic, downtempo, sophisticated

Tracklist

  1. Dear Grandpa (02:58)
  2. Is There A Place For You There? (04:31)
  3. Justice (03:33)
  4. Protect Your Brain (04:50)
  5. On The Other Side Of Time (05:40)
  6. The Clock Began To Move (04:01)
  7. Numb (05:24)
  8. Why Do This? (04:26)
  9. Ghost Town (04:38)
  10. Yoo-hoo (03:48)

Credits

  • Shintaro Sakamoto - written, produced, vocals, bass (track 10), keyboard, acoustic, electric & lap steel guitar, artwork
  • Yuta Suganuma - drums, percussion, chorus
  • AYA - bass, chorus
  • Toru Nishiuchi - saxophone, flute
  • Mami Kakudo - marimba (tracks 8 & 9)
  • Soichiro Nakamura - recorded, mixed & mastered

More from Shintaro Sakamoto: full discography