As the mastermind behind the indie-folk project Florist, Emily A. Sprague is known for weaving delicate and emotionally charged soundscapes. But with her new ambient album, Cloud Time, she takes a bold step into the realm of environmental improvisation, capturing the essence of a journey that is as much about place as it is about the self. The album, which arrives on October 10 via RVNG Intl., chronicles Sprague’s long-awaited debut tour of Japan, recorded during a fall 2024 trip that transformed her approach to music.
The project, a deeply personal exploration of presence and connection, finds Sprague stripping away her usual instruments in favor of spontaneous, location-specific improvisations. In keeping with the philosophy of kankyō ongaku—Japanese environmental music—Cloud Time taps into the energy of the spaces it was recorded in, creating a series of open-ended, responsive performances that form a profound dialogue between the artist, the environment, and the listener. Each track is a postcard from a specific moment in time, built on an ethos of unbound presence and psychic wayfaring.
Sprague herself describes the process as a form of “unknowing,” where she surrenders control, letting the music emerge naturally from the space she inhabits. “I wanted to meet the country, spaces, and people through that process,” she reflected. “It wasn’t about bringing something into it tightly under my control.”
The album’s lead single, “Tokyo 1,” is a sublime example of this concept, available today alongside a tranquil visualizer by longtime collaborator V Haddad. The track is an ambient synth piece that invites listeners to float through clouds of sound, with cyclic tones that ebb and flow like atmospheric currents. As Sprague notes, the song encapsulates the essence of the tour’s opening stop, which sparked a “profoundly healing and impactful journey” for the artist. “I hope Cloud Time can be a gift back to anyone who either was or wasn’t there,” Sprague shares, referring to the deeply reflective nature of the project.
The album, composed of more than eight hours of material, is an audio-spiritual voyage, one that navigates not only physical space but emotional terrain, drawing from both the sonic and the metaphysical.
Cloud Time will be released on limited Cloudy White and Black vinyl, as well as a Japanese import CD (via Plancha) and digital formats. Pre-orders are available now, and Sprague has already teased that the album’s themes will echo her ongoing exploration of music as both a personal and collective experience.
In the meantime, take a moment to immerse yourself in Tokyo 1 — a track that opens a portal to Cloud Time, an album where time and space are fluid, and every note is an invitation to drift.
Watch the official visualizer for “Tokyo 1” here
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