“I imagined the band and what I wanted to play with them, and I wrote songs where each of them could shine,” Hiromi Uehara—better known as simply Hiromi—tells Apple Music about OUT THERE, the second release with her project Sonicwonder. For more than 20 years, Hiromi has been turning heads by blending her jazz piano chops with influences of funk, rock and more. Her previous album, 2023’s Sonicwonderland, was the debut for her Sonicwonder project, which features bassist Hadrien Feraud, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and drummer Gene Coye. “For Sonicwonderland, I started by writing songs based on my concept for the album, and then searched for musicians who could realise that material,” Hiromi says. “This album takes the exact opposite approach.” Unlike Sonicwonderland, where the personalities of individual band members collide, OUT THERE showcases Sonicwonder’s unity. The opening song, “XYZ”, is an encore of the standout track from Hiromi’s 2003 debut album, Another Mind—a showcase of her evolution as an artist and one that raises expectations for what’s to come. “I’ve played this song with all of my bands since I recorded it for my debut album in 2003,” she says. “This is a very Sonicwonder-like ‘XYZ’”. The album continues with “Yes! Ramen!!”, where humorous melodies coexist with tense improvisation. “A single bowl of ramen is packed with the life experience of the restaurant’s owner,” says Hiromi. “There are a lot of kinds of ramen, and everyone has their own favourite kind. I think that’s a lot like music. When eating ramen at a ramen restaurant, everyone lines up, faces that one bowl of ramen and concentrates. Live music is similar. I put my respect for ramen into this song.” “Pendulum”, meanwhile, is an enchanting ballad featuring vocals by Canadian singer-songwriter Michelle Willis. For Hiromi, “her wonderful smoky, bluesy singing voice” brings a breath of fresh air. From there, listeners are whisked away on an adventurous journey through the four-part title suite, “OUT THERE”—“a suite which embarks on a journey to somewhere other than where you are right now”. A solo-piano version of “Pendulum” floats in before the playful pop melodies of “Balloon Pop” bring down the curtain. And she’s keen to take this on the road soon: “When I came up with the first riff, I felt like I wanted to play this song live as soon as possible.”