Anastasi

Anastasi (: Ανάσταση; : Resurrection) is the fourth studio album by Akitei-born Alvak singer-songwriter Kiara Yoshikawa, better known by her stage name of Ersatz. Initially released on February 4th, 2023 with the Engelholz record label, the album featured a diverse cast of producers from across East Kesh; Yoshikawa and Ginseng were from Alva, JOY from Hwangchu, CICADA from Kodeshia, and NaRuMi from Akiteiwa. The release of three singles promoted the album: "Moonglow" (Mondschein) by Ersatz, "Summer Festival" (Natsu Matsuri (夏祭り)) by NaRuMi, and "Resurrection" (Anastasi) by Ginseng, and will be supported by the "Anastasi" tour starting in May 2023.

Background
Yoshikawa appeared on Theykan-Shenewan singer Keuthe's VIBES WORLDWIDE concert tour in her Alvastadt show on the 1st of December, 2019 as a guest act. Taking inspiration from the production of Keuthe's VIBE album, she considered starting a collaborative project between multiple artists. Following a brief but highly publicized exchange on social media between Yoshikawa, Ginseng, and Akitei artist Narumi Kozue, commonly known as NaRuMi, speculation arose regarding the production of a new album. Months of radio silence passed before Engelholz, Yoshikawa and Ginseng's record label, released a press statement confirming the album's production; alongside the press statement came news of Kodeshi singer CICADA and Hwangji idol group JOY joining the production.

Production of the album stalled in March 2022 following an automobile accident involving Yoshikawa and Ginseng; the latter underwent minor surgery. Yoshikawa initially postponed all concerts that year, but she would carry on with her November concert, showcasing a demo version of "Moonglow" during the encore. "Moonglow" would eventually release on the 1st of December, 2022, followed by Ginseng's "Resurrection" on the 1st of January, 2023 and NaRuMi's "Summer Festival" on the 15th. A leaked demo version of JOY's "Evening in Sungkow" appeared online on the 1st of February.

Composition and themes
Anastasi is a pop album, although critics tend to pin its influences from, , and  onto it. Yoshikawa described the album in a January interview, likening it to " if everyone had the same general idea." Compared to Yoshikawa's previous albums in which she worked with minimal outside assistance, Anastasi is her first collaborative effort. Musically, however, the album pulls from the late 1980s-early 1990s pop scene in East Kesh. Several songs borrow certain musical motifs from the era: "Lady in Red" makes heavy use of an orchestral section, the title track features an acapella section, and "Tsunami" incorporates vintage synthesizers.

Thematically, the album follows the wrong-timing trope; the narrative depicts the unnamed protagonist returning to the past, where they meet their significant other again. Yoshikawa and Ginseng serve as narrators as the album progresses, speaking as if they are the inner voices of both the protagonist and the significant other.

Promotion
Music videos were released for the three singles released prior to the album, the first being "Moonglow" on December 1st, 2022. Following their introductions to radio by the end of January 2023, "Moonglow" became the album's lead single in Alva; "Summer Festival" took its place as the lead single in Akiteiwa. Following the album's release, Yoshikawa announced her forthcoming tour for the album, joined by Ginseng, NaRuMi, CICADA, and JOY.

Critical reception
The album received a mostly positive response from critics. (name) of (reviewer) wrote that "the album is a tour of all the best fundamental pop sounds and tropes that have been taking back East Kesh charts over the past few years - the diversity of these talented singers really help show off the evolution of pop music." According to (name) of (reviewer) "a resurrection of pop kreativ is underway", describing the album as "unabashedly modern in production style yet expertly showcasing its roots and inspirations." (name) of (reviewer) described the record as "over a dozen tracks of great storytelling mixed with grooves that keep the heart pumping", but found the artistic differences between each composer "too jarring by the slightest of margins", concluding that Anastasi "tries to recreate a decade of vast musical history with current methods and trends; the only problem is that its history."