Kabutomushi

With her dreamy 2022 debut EP, Tsukino, Brooklyn-based singer, songwriter, and degreed jazz guitarist Mei Semones made enough of an impression with her adroit combination of 60s bossa nova, mathy, staccato rhythmic patterns, and affectionate indie pop fare -- styles that may sound at odds on paper -- that Bayonet Records stepped forward to release the follow-up. Working with a similar but slightly expanded supporting crew of acoustic instrumentalists that included a violinist, violist, upright bassist, and drummer, Semones recorded the five-song Kabutomushi with producer Kai Tsao, who also mixed the EP. Even more charming, sophisticated, and indie-cinematic than the debut, its sure to quickly win over bossa aficionados by the opening track, "Tagami," which, like songs on her previous EP, switches back and forth between English and Japanese lyrics. (Semones is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, but grew up speaking Japanese with her mother.) The song begins with a jazzy guitar run that lands on an elegant extended chord, signaling the rich harmonic palette to come, then launches into a wispy bossa nova replete with rhythmic rim clicks, sweeping string accents, and lyrics like, "Youre my biggest fan/I wont let you down." She makes this beloved Brazilian style her own throughout the EP with more technical lead guitar riffs, plucked harmonics, and, most evident on "Tegami," lush band segments that come close to rocking out before ebbing back toward warm, breezy climates. Variations on this include "Wakare no Kotoba" ("Words of Farewell"), which relies more heavily on noodly guitar lines, drifting meter changes, and rock-style drumming, and "Inaka," the closest thing to an angsty, 90s-inspired indie rocker. All the songs here play with dynamics and song structure, lending to the EPs cinematic quality and the sense that Mei Semones singular music takes you somewhere. ~ Marcy Donelson