JeGong – Gomi Kuzu Can
Release Date: 27th February 2026
Label: Pelagic Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Krautrock, Experimental, Post-Rock.
FFO: Mogwai, Tangerine Dream, Zahn, Sonic Youth, Crystal Castles.
Review By: John Newlands
JeGong, the collaborative project of Dahm Majuri Cipolla (MONO) and Reto Mäder (SUM OF R.), return with their third full-length release, Gomi Kuzu Can, via Berlin’s Pelagic Records.
Following 2023’s The Complex In-Between and their 2020 debut I., the duo continues carving out their distinct space within the world of progressive, rhythm-driven experimental music.
For folks that have never heard of them, JeGong operate in a realm where left-field creativity intersects with deep Krautrock foundations. Their sound is built on rhythms, repetition, and a seamless interplay between organic and electronic elements. Gomi Kuzu Can embodies this weird aesthetic with confidence and is an album steeped in analogue warmth and 1970s experimental energy, which is delivered with splashes of a sci-fi tinged retro-futuristic feel. It really is quite odd, but also rather good.
For this listener, it feels like there’s a deliberate imperfection to the record, like the subtle warble of an analogue tape delay compared to the sterile, clinical precision of its digital counterpart. That said, nothing here feels accidental, JeGong excel at making tracks sound both intentional and spontaneous and their music lives in the space between mechanical and deeply human.
As someone who has followed JeGong since their debut, I’ve learned to expect that their records take time. For me, accessibility has never been the easy goal with their records, and Gomi Kuzu Can is no exception. My first listens left me divided. At times the repetition felt overwhelming, or a particular synth tone hit wrong. On occasion only one or two tracks resonated and I switched off. But after repeated, patient listening (and catching myself in the right mindset) something “clicked” and the album began to unfold. Suddenly I was immersed again in the strange, immersive landscape that JeGong seem to create.
The opening track, Golden Hairs Goes Back to Japan, sets the tone immediately. Synth-driven and atmospheric, it lays out the sonic synth driven world that the rest of the record explores. Its hypnotic, textural, and rhythmically anchored and driven. For me, a standout moment arrives with Track 3, Contortion. It has some awesome, heavy, fuzz-laden synths that intertwine with tight, driving percussion to create a pulsing momentum that makes you want to dance, or fuck, or maybe both!! It gives me some Crystal Castles vibes, of which I very much approve. It has a dirty, sleazy, sci-fi sex scene vibe to it which is….. ahem…fantastic (give me a moment).
Further into the album, another highlight for me is track 9, Parallel Tracks, which brings an interesting blend of tribal-ish rhythm and industrial low-end. Its dark, a bit moody, and slightly off-kilter. It could be seen to lean toward industrial territory but never fully crosses the line.
The closer, Obaachan Bingo, is JeGong at their most playfully unpredictable. Opening with what could pass for a retro video-game jingle or a snippet of Japanese television music (a-la-EYES spinner), the track quickly mutates into a dense wash of noise over a simple programmed beat. This dissolves in turn, giving way to a meditative noise drone before organic drums and lead synth re-emerge for a final, evocative two-minute ascent. Its strange, it’s bold, its very JeGong.
So, all in all, you may have gathered thatGomi Kuzu Can isn’t casual, easy listening. It’s not meant to be an ambient backdrop that you chuck on in the background (I’ve tried) its textures demand attention, and its idiosyncrasies can grate your brains if you aren’t in the right headspace.
But when its rhythms lock into place, and when its weird wee world aligns with your own, it becomes something deeply rewarding. JeGong’s evolution on Gomi Kuzu Can feels natural, I feel it’s a continuation of their own sonic philosophy cultivated over the last two records and now delivered with increased confidence and clarity.
So, in closing, in the right moment, JeGongs brand of “weird” is genuinely wonderful. Gomi Kuzu Can stands as another exciting chapter in the bands exploration of rhythm, texture, and experimental expression. Check it out, weridos!!!
(4 / 5)
