Brooklyn singer-songwriter Mei Semones makes ethereal, folky indie rock that is jazzy, dexterous and string-laden with just a dash of bossa-nova. She’s just announced her debut EP, Kabutomushi, which will be out April 5 via Bayonet.
The EP includes “Wakare No Kotoba,” which she released last fall, and the new single is the delicate, beautiful “Inaka.” Says Mei, “I wrote this song shortly after moving to Brooklyn in the fall of 2022, when I was feeling defeated and exhausted everyday. I’ve grown to love the city, but at the time I was idealizing losing all ambition and moving to the countryside with my partner, hence the name of the song ‘Inaka’ which means ‘countryside’ in Japanese. Looking back at that time, I realize the city wasn’t the issue, I was just tired.” You can watch the videos for “Inaka” and “Wakare No Kotoba” below.
Mei will be on tour with Bratty starting later this month, where she’ll be playing solo, including a stop at Brooklyn’s Elsewhere Zone One on March 2. She’s also opening for Yuma Abe at The Sultan Room on February 18, and will play a full-band release show at Baby’s All Right on April 15 with John Roseboro and Nebulous Quartet. All dates are below.
KABUTOMUSHI
1. Tegami
2. Wakare No Kotoba
3. Takaramono
4. Inaka
5. Kabutomushi
MEI SEMONES – TOUR DATES
Sun. Feb. 18 – Brooklyn @ Sultan Room w/ Abe Yuma
Wed. Feb. 28 – Atlanta, GA @ 529 Bar w/ Bratty
Thu. Feb. 29 – Washington, DC @ Songbyrd w/ Bratty
Sat. Mar. 2 – Brooklyn, NY @ Elsewhere Zone One w/ Bratty
Sun. Mar. 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ PhilaMOCA w/ Bratty
Tue. Mar. 5 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement w/ Bratty
Wed. Mar. 6 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean w/ Bratty
Mon. Apr. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (EP Release Show, full band)