Erika Dohi – Myth of Tomorrow
Today, Osaka-born, New York–based artist Erika Dohi shares the title track and accompanying video from her forthcoming album Myth of Tomorrow, out this Friday, October 24 via Switch Hit Records and Figureight Records.
In tandem with the release, Talkhouse has published a conversation between Dohi and renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Shahzad Ismaily (Arooj Aftab, Cassandra Jenkins, Ceramic Dog), where the two discuss the making of the album and more.
The pairing feels especially apt: Myth of Tomorrow marks the inaugural release for Figureight Records, a boutique imprint of Ismaily’s acclaimed Figure8 Recordings studio. The album highlights the studio’s rare collection of vintage synthesizers, instruments, and effects, as well as contributions from its close-knit community of house musicians—channeling a shared creative spirit that runs throughout the project.
Yet Myth of Tomorrow is more than a reflection of that scene with Erika at its center—it’s a poignant statement for our time. Inspired in part by Tarō Okamoto’s iconic mural depicting the Hiroshima bombing and the resilience of humanity—a work that appears prominently in the music video—Dohi channels both historical trauma and her own personal upheaval in the wake of the pandemic.
Expanding on the title track and album’s central theme, Erika shares: “They reflect on resilience and regeneration in the face of life’s relentless cycles. Through its lyrics, I explore the contradictions of modern existence—the struggle to find happiness in repetition, the unspoken burdens we carry, and the illusions we chase in pursuit of fulfillment. Yet, amidst all of this, the song also asks us to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the beauty in the everyday: the sun rising without fail, the moon’s quiet waning, the resilience of a dandelion growing through cracks in asphalt.” Amid our era of existential crisis and widespread disconnection from one another, “Myth of Tomorrow” challenges us to reconnect with what moves us to live for tomorrow—even when one isn’t promised.
Produced with Grammy-winning composer William Brittelle (Roomful of Teeth, Julia Holter) and created during her residency at Brooklyn’s Figure 8 studio—in partnership with Wally De Backer (aka Gotye)’s Forgotten Futures—the project gave Erika access to a galaxy of new instruments and production tools. She expands her already eclectic sonic palette with traditional Japanese instruments and the iconic Fairlight CMI synthesizer, while bringing her mesmeric vocals to the forefront for the first time.
Supported by Metropolis Ensemble and featuring key contributions from poet Carol Féliz, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, violinist Lauren Cauley, and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, Dohi weaves together a singular blend of jazz, ambient retro-futurist electronica, contemporary classical, traditional Japanese music, and avant-garde chamber pop—creating a sound that is at once deeply personal and strikingly otherworldly.
Dohi began writing Myth of Tomorrow in the earliest days of pandemic lockdown, recording alone on her phone in her apartment. “I had just moved back to New York City, only to find the city—and my professional life—suddenly paused. In that stillness, I confronted what I’ve come to call my ‘inner jails’: the emotional and mental confines we carry with us, no matter where we are.” She continues: “Born from solitude and stillness, Myth of Tomorrow emerged from a realization that we are never truly alone. It’s an invitation to look inward, to sit with uncertainty, and to find hope and resilience in our shared human experience.”
To celebrate the album’s release, Erika will host a special event in New York City on November 3 at 1 Rivington Gallery, with support from Matt Evans, Renzo Jimenez, Carol Feliz, Lauren Cauley, David Leon, and Phong Tran.
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