Back in March of 2012, I snagged a last-minute ticket to see Of Montreal at the Showbox. As amazing as Kevin Barnes and company were, along with tourmates Deerhoof, the biggest impression made on me was the opener, Kishi Bashi. Armed with little more than a violin, a loop pedal, and a pristine voice, Kishi Bashi (aka Kaoru Dill-Ishibashi) felt like a less controlled, more exuberant artist in the vein of Andrew Bird. Dill-Ishibashi was on the show because he was also touring as a member of Of Montreal, but he was fundamentally a solo performer.

There was no way of knowing that, just a few years later, in 2016, the Kishi Bashi album Sonderlust would serve as a pivotal transition away from the one-man band era of Dill-Ishibashi’s career. As Sonderlust turns 10, its anniversary is being marked with a rerelease and an accompanying tour, with Kishi Bashi playing the album in its entirety.

“All throughout my 14, 15-year career, I’ve been solo a lot,” says Dill-Ishibashi. “Now I have bands; like this tour I’ll have a full band, and I enjoy that too. I’ll go back and forth, and sometimes I’ll have a string quartet too. Sonderlust was the last album where it was a really homegrown production, and after that, I started recording as a band, on Omoiyari, Kantos, and the Emigrant EP. Sonderlust is basically me pushing myself to do what I can do by myself, and after that I start relying on other musicians for support.”

Loved by critics and fans alike, the album came at a turbulent moment in Dill-Ishibashi’s life, both personally and artistically. The demands of touring had put a strain on his marriage, and the usual musical wells he turned to—violin included—just weren’t doing the trick anymore. As a result, Sonderlust is not only a lyrically melancholy affair, but a musical departure from his earlier efforts; the spritely violin gave way to a wash of synths and insistent percussion. Though it’s largely another solo effort, Sonderlust includes a number of guest musicians to help round out the sound.

“I’m pretty proud of it. It was a crazy time for me, and looking back, it shows me how, at the core, I’m still the same excited musician,” says Dill-Ishibashi. “But, as an adult, I’m much more mature. … I play most of these songs at my shows, all the time, so I’m constantly revisiting my songs, even if I don’t want to. Sometimes, I’ll go back and check to see what the sonic qualities, or production qualities, of [my old songs] are, as a reference or baseline, in case I’m feeling insecure about my abilities.”

Even though Sonderlust was born out of turmoil—reflected in the introspective and often sad lyrics—the music is persistently, almost manically upbeat for much of the album. With Dill-Ishibashi’s voice frequently soaring into falsetto, and the dancey, shimmering synths hitting maximum overdrive, the album feels at times like ABBA and Electric Light Orchestra sending a communication from the stars. It’s an absolute rush to take in, and even in the more restrained moments, like “Flame on Flame (a Slow Dirge),” the melody and groove are irresistible.

Some of these songs have made their way into the Kishi Bashi live repertoire, but this tour will be the first time the album is played in its entirety—and likely the first time some of its songs are performed live, period. Dill-Ishibashi credits his incredible band with making it possible. It’s a fitting development for an artist who has increasingly embraced collaboration over the years.

Now seems like an ideal time to have an album like Sonderlust—so brimming it is with emotion—overtake you.

“These days, with people questioning whether we’re going to be replaced by AI and lose our humanity, I think it’s super exciting to feel with music, including the sadness that it brings,” says Dill-Ishibashi. “Oftentimes, the sadness is a reduction of our memories of what we’ve lost, so to feel that is extremely important.”

Kishi Bashi plays at The Crocodile with Geographer on October 10 and 11. Tickets and more information can be found here.