Haruomi Hosono shares whimsical visualiser for new single 'Note of Mothership'
The track was released on the Japanese producer's 79th birthday & opens his first album in seven years
Haruomi Hosono has released ‘Note of Mothership’ the opening track from his forthcoming album 'Yours Sincerely' which drops September 11 via Ghostly International.
The single arrived on July 9, 2026 (Hosono's 79th birthday) and marks his first new album in seven years.
In an email accompanying the release, the Yellow Magic Orchestra founding member explained the song's origins. He wrote, "For the past several years, I have been contemplating the maternal presence that envelops the Earth. I believe expressions like 'Mother Earth' and 'Mother Nature' were born from an intuitive understanding of the strict yet tender compassion that our human progenitor holds."
He went on to describe how recent global hardship shaped this thinking: "Through the powerless, solitary experiences brought on by great earthquakes and the spread of pandemics, I sensed that something had begun to stir."
The song itself came about almost by chance. As Hosono put it, "I had been turning over the thought that this album would be about such things, when Michihiko Yanai asked me to write a song for a streaming video. When I asked him about the theme, the answer came back: 'Mother'. This struck me like a revelation—the sense that the deep consciousness of humanity had at last surfaced. And so the first track, 'Note of Mothership', came into being."
On the title itself, he added, "Incidentally, while 'mothership' literally means a 'mother vessel', it can also evoke the idea of maternity. With that in mind, I imagined the song as a gathering of maternal spirits aboard a flying-saucer-like mothership."
Read this next: The amazing history of Yellow Magic Orchestra: Unpacking Japan's most influential electronic music band
The track comes with an official visualiser that follows a raccoon dog peering at organisms under a microscope. Done in a hand-drawn, cartoon-like cutout style bursting with colour, it pairs with a calming melody, gentle chimes, layered vocals and the sound of children laughing and singing.
Together, a warm and endearing feel throughout, while the arrangement itself stays polished and professional.
Read this next: Ryuichi Sakamoto gets 2-hour online radio tribute show for his 71st birthday
'Yours Sincerely' will be available on limited-edition dark-gold vinyl, CD, cassette, and a deluxe box set through The Ghostly Store, available for pre-order here.
Hosono will also support the album with his first US shows in seven years, joined by Toro y Moi, playing New York's Radio City Music Hall in New York and Los Angeles' Greek Theatre in September.
Watch the visualiser for 'Note of Mothership' below.
Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.
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