Sumie Releases Self-Titled Debut LP

Early last week, Sumie released her self-titled debut LP. The album was released on Bella Union, which has also released works from artists including The Flaming Lips, The Walkmen, Beach House - among many others.

Sandra Sumie Nagano, who goes by her stage name Sumie, is a Swedish folk-tress who started writing and recording her songs five years back in 2008, a few years after becoming a mother. Sumie spent some years traveling, and once returning to her hometown of Gothenburg, she began to record and release a few of her tracks on Bandcamp.

She waited until recently to record an album until it sounded like what she heard in her head.

She "casts the most hypnotic spell with just her voice and an acoustic guitar", a recent press release described. In this case, less is much more, for all Sumie needed to succeed with her sound on this record was her voice and acoustic guitar.

Sumie's sound is much more acoustic and different sounding than that of her sister's, Yukimi, who is the front-runner of the electro-pop band Little Dragon.

"It was not a style or a sudden choice but more me playing my guitar and having two small children so I could not make much noise", Sumie explained.

"But I also love minimal and delicate music, so that felt like a natural direction for me."

The album is a mix of Sumie's nationalities and bloodlines - her mother is Swedish and her father Japanese. The album molds together different sounds from Scandinavian and Japanese strains, making it for a certainly unique listen. "I have always thought the cultural differences are very interesting.

My way of doing things definitely carries the duality of both cultures", Sumie stated. Along with the album, Sumie released an album trailer titled "Never Wanted To Be".

The video along with the full self-titled debut album from Sumie can be found on Bella Union, as well as Sumie's website www.sumienagano.com.