UPUPAYAMA – Honesty Flowers (2026, 2LP/CD, Fuzz Club) 

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Fuzz Club

Format: 2LP, Album, Limited Edition, Gatefold, 180g, Marble Vinyl, 300 copies (hand numbered) 

Format: 2LP, Album, Limited Edition, Black Vinyl, Gatefold, 180g

Format: CD, Album, Limited Edition

Release Date: 29 May 2026

In recent years, few artists have explored the outer reaches of contemporary psychedelia with as much imagination and restless creativity as Italy’s Alessio Ferrari. Operating under the enigmatic moniker Upupayāma, the Parma-based multi-instrumentalist has steadily built a reputation as one of the most distinctive voices on the European psychedelic underground, crafting deeply immersive recordings that effortlessly blur the boundaries between psychedelic rock, world music, krautrock, folk, drone and ritualistic groove.

What began with the hypnotic landscapes of “Upupayāma” (2021) continued to evolve through the expansive journeys of “The Golden Pond” (2022) and the acclaimed “Mount Elephant” (2024), each release revealing new dimensions of Ferrari’s singular vision. Alongside these studio works, Upupayāma’s reputation as a formidable live entity was further cemented by the improvisation-driven “Live At Fuzz Club Festival ’25”, showcasing the project’s ability to transform carefully crafted compositions into sprawling psychedelic explorations on stage.

Now comes “Honesty Flowers”, the fourth studio album and arguably the most ambitious chapter in the Upupayāma story to date. Spanning two LPs and over seventy minutes of music, the album finds Ferrari pushing his unique formula further than ever before. Written, performed and recorded almost entirely by himself in a mountain village overlooking Parma, “Honesty Flowers” is a dazzling celebration of rhythm, movement and sonic storytelling, drawing inspiration from global funk traditions, African percussion, krautrock repetition, acid-folk introspection and psychedelic experimentation. Ferrari’s arsenal of guitars, percussion, sitar, flute and keyboards is deployed with remarkable confidence, while the album’s rich production balances raw organic energy with immersive psychedelic depth. Yet to describe the album merely through its influences would be missing the point. “Honesty Flowers” creates its own geography. Across its sprawling runtime, listeners encounter ancestral rituals hidden inside hollow trees, endless Mongolian steppes, mist-covered Japanese mornings, pagan ceremonies, desert caravans, sacred temples and ecstatic dances beneath unfamiliar skies.

“Honesty Flowers” contains 11 tracks divided into 4 sides of the double LP. The album takes off with “Fliiim / Laliīmph” (11:29), a mesmerizing tribal journey driven by hypnotic percussion, moving from ecstatic African-inspired ritualism into a gentler, reflective comedown that slowly guides the listener back to reality… “Gilded Meditations” (4:31), is mysterious and ceremonial, this eerie psychedelic invocation feels like the soundtrack to an ancient ritual unfolding beyond language and reason… Ritualistic psychedelia meets infectious funk on “Mystic Chords Of Memory” (5:05), with bursts of heavy acid-rock energy transforming the track into a vibrant cosmic groove… “Oyob” (6:16) is one of the album’s most distinctive pieces, blending fuzz-drenched guitars, tribal rhythms and global influences into a fascinating psychedelic crossroads. “In The Solstice Sun” (8:40) begins as a pastoral and meditative ceremony before gradually blossoming into a shimmering jazz-funk psychedelic celebration… “Sound Mirrors” (6:41), an adventurous and deeply experimental excursion, full of twisting sonic reflections and mind-expanding psychedelic textures… “Mokushō” (8:20) is a beautiful meditative piece that evokes rural Japan before evolving into a powerful wave of electrified psychedelic intensity… Bittersweet, nostalgic and deeply emotional, “Old Sky, Wandering Clouds” (9:08) is a slow-burning raga-infused journey that balances delicate beauty with moments of heavy fuzz-driven transcendence… “Yuya” (4:05) is a joyful dance ritual propelled by infectious rhythms, capturing the communal spirit of celebration through pure psychedelic energy… “Baobab” (2:57) is short, relaxed and warmly atmospheric, offering a peaceful interlude filled with earthy, ritualistic charm… The album comes to an end with “Morning Temple” (4:31), a serene and uplifting finale whose gentle psychedelic glow perfectly captures the feeling of awakening to a new and hopeful day…

Across its eleven tracks, “Honesty Flowers” reveals Upupayāma at its most rhythmically adventurous and spiritually immersive, weaving together tribal grooves, global psychedelia, ritualistic atmospheres, fuzzed-out excursions and moments of genuine beauty. It is an album that invites exploration, rewards surrender and reminds us that the most exciting journeys often begin when we step beyond the familiar and embrace the unknown.

Upupayāma further establishes itself as one of the most adventurous projects operating within today’s psychedelic underground… One of the Best Albums of 2026! TimeLord Michalis 

Tracklist

Links

Listen / Buy through UPUPAYAMA Bandcamp

Check TIMEMAZINE Web for all UPUPAYAMA LP reviews plus an interesting chat with Alessio Ferrari