Through a series of YouTube videos, Ichika Nito has been able to cement his reputation as one of the most technically proficient and imaginative guitarists on the circuit. Whether he is playing one-string solos or presenting math-rock reinventions of Smoke on the Water, he is always pushing the boundaries of the instrument.
Now he has turned his attention to his repertoire of original songs, releasing his latest track, Blossom.
Though the song is available on Spotify under Ichika’s artist name – simply “Nito” – it has also been used as the backdrop to the guitarist’s latest YouTube video, which is titled “Let me introduce myself”.
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Part performance playthrough, part speed-networking video, the clip not only gives listeners the opportunity to learn more about the elusive artist but the chance to marvel at his extraordinary technique.
Using his Ibanez Quest signature guitar – an axe that spearheaded the launch of the Japanese brand’s first-ever headless guitar range – Nito locks into his tried-and-trusted clean tone to acquaint listeners with Blossom’s main hook, before dipping into his arsenal as he reworks recurring musical motifs into the arrangement.
In the overlying text that accompanies the track, Nito reveals he’s been dabbling in bass guitar and the harp, too, with the latter getting a starring role in Blossom to supply melodic support and decorative crescendos.
It’s only two minutes long, but it’s crammed with just about every trick Nito is known for; there are harmonic chimes, two-hand tapped melodies and a particularly daring commute across the fretboard at the 1:14 mark.
“The reason I started music was a fantasy book [called] Merlin Saga I read when I was a child,” Nito explains. “In this book, the beauty of music was described. From there, I longed for music.”
Blossom is Nito’s latest release of 2022, and follows his six-track Awakening EP that dropped last month. At the time of its arrival, Awakening was Nito’s first new material in two years, following 2020’s until the end.
Nito now has a number of EPs under his belt, which include his 2018 debut effort, Journey and 2020 sophomore offering, NITO.
There have been plenty of standalone singles to go along with those, too, such as Qualm, Branching Paths, i miss you and I’m not ready to say goodbye to autumn.
What we’re trying to say is, a full-length album is the obvious next step. It looks as though Nito’s creativity continues to reach new heights with every release, so whenever the inevitable debut album arrives, we’d wager it’s going to be pretty spectacular.
In other Nito news, the guitarist recently teamed up with Machine Gun Kelly for the rap star-turned-pop punk player’s latest single, More Than Life.
