A cold shimmer runs through Lilii Mar’s latest release, like Shinjuku neon on December snow—guitars cutting an angular swath, and vocals drifting in with a baroque sense of drama, swelling like a thundercloud. “White Glow” is the second single from the Tokyo-based artist Lilii Mar a.k.a. masa, the founding member and composer of Sex Virgin Killer, now pushing their solo work deeper into depths of gothic rock, post-punk, darkwave, cold wave, and neo-psychedelia.
masa’s story stretches back well before this single: The band Sex Virgin Killer first took shape in Tokyo in 2006, built around masa’s vocals and guitar. In recent years, that world has been re-energized—new releases, new momentum—and the project’s DIY ethos sharpened further through the artist’s own imprint, lilii sound loom. That same spirit runs through Lilii Mar’s solo work: small-run physical editions that feel hand-tended, with a sound that’s grown colder, cleaner, and more nocturnal.
The title track moves on icy minor-chord shapes and angular guitar lines brushed with haunting reverb, tracing a dark melody up and down the spine of classic gothic rock. masa’s vocal delivery glides above it—rich, dramatic, and occasionally widening into something ghostly and bellowing—giving the song a devotional intensity without losing its pulse. On “Angel (Heaven Version)”—a more effects-laden reworking of Lilii Mar’s debut single, and originally featured on The Ancient Wall (Compilation Supporting Gaza) by Psychic Eye—a dancey dream-pop jangle and snare-forward beat carry a sighing surge of guitar drone, while distant vocals land like a sermon delivered through winds of a tempest. The EP closes with “White Glow (More Wave Version)”, alongside a Bandcamp-exclusive bonus (track 4).
White Glow will also arrive as a limited-edition cassette of 50 copies on December 25, 2025 via lilii sound loom (lilii-014). The cassette edition features three tracks across two sides.
Listen to White Glow below and order the cassette here.
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