Wao (LP)

Wao is the spontaneous and dreamlike new album from Joseph Shabason, Nicholas Krgovich, and legendary Japanese duo Tenniscoats.
Recorded over two unplanned days at the oceanfront artist haven Guggenheim House in Kobe, Wao captures the magic of pure improvisation, the joy of instant connection, and the quiet poetry of everyday life.The project began in spring 2024, when Shabason and Krgovich traveled to Japan for their first tour as a duo. Label head Koji Saito not only organized the dates but arranged for Tenniscoats—Saya and Takashi Ueno—to serve as both openers and backing band. With only two rehearsals, the group found immediate musical chemistry on stage, their performances growing more fluid and playful each night. Anticipating their synergy, Saito booked time for them to record at Guggenheim House during a short tour break. The sessions were entirely unstructured: no songs, no plans—just instruments, a few mics, and the momentum of a shared feeling.What emerged is a collection of songs that unfolded in real time. The first day saw Nick writing a melody in the yard, inspired by Japanese names for different types of clouds, while inside the others were unknowingly reviving a forgotten Tenniscoats tune. Tracks like “A Fish Called Wanda” and “Departed Bird” arose in moments like these, shaped by intuition and soft interjections of everyday wonder. Train sounds from the nearby tracks drift in and out of the recordings, adding texture and locality to the airy, intimate takes.Musically, Wao floats between Tenniscoats’ delicate, experimental folk-pop and Shabason and Krgovich’s signature warmth and melodic clarity.
There’s a gentle sense of surprise running through the album—ideas passed hand to hand, vocals offered up like gifts, each track arriving without force. The sequence of the record follows the order the songs were created, preserving the freshness and flow of the experience.A tribute to ease, trust, and the joy of making something ephemeral together, Wao is less a polished statement than a beautifully shared moment. As Saya whispered after one take, “Oh… wao.” That quiet awe says it all.