The secret to good shoegaze is to not revel purely in the lushness of the sound itself but to supplement it with good songwriting and strong hooks – both of which factor into exactly why Kinoue64’s Kuukan, Jijoo, Jikan, Jishoo. [Space, Circumstances, Time and Events.] thrives. Here’s a shoegaze record that fashions torrential waves of guitar into protracted moments of serious grandeur; that isn’t afraid of huge choruses and blown-out crescendos; a work that doesn’t shy from electronic innovations or radical interpolations of classic styles. Kuukan, Jijoo, Jikan, Jishoo. is the Hyogo-based shoegaze project’s third full-length work – and finest yet.

Listen to “After school, on the way to school” below.