Mei Semones - Kurage [PRE-ORDER, Plushie Release Date: 15-APRIL-2026]
Genre: BOSSA NOVA INDIE ROCK / POP / FOLKItem Notes
Plushie, Limited Edition - NO VINYL—JUST THE PLUSHIE & A DL OF THE EP
Release Date: 10/4/2026
Label: Bayonet Records
Description
* **NO VINYL—JUST THE PLUSHIE & A DL OF THE EP** There’s no one doing it quite like Mei Semones, the 25-year-old Brooklyn-based guitarist and songwriter blending jazz, bossa nova, and indie-pop. Named an “artist to watch” by Pigeons & Planes, The FADER, the New York Times, and more, Semones is a prolific and rising star; her debut album, Animaru was released in May 2025, followed by “Kurayami” and “Get used to it” later that fall. Her songwriting has a specific and recognizable lightness, an ease in spite of its knotted complexities. It’s a testament to Semones’ discipline and dedication to her craft of guitar playing that her music is so cerebral, but with such a buoyancy and accessibility – an amalgamation of guitar lines swinging from jazz to bossa to math-y to grungier hooks, lyrics fluttering between English and Japanese. To listen to a Mei Semones song is to be delighted, surprised at every turn – it’s the sense that you’ve met an artist with a truly singular melodic point-of-view. On Kurage, Semones’ new collaborative EP, the scope of her musical world continues to widen as she presents three new tracks across relationships and locale. Recorded throughout the fall of 2025, in-between Semones’ whirlwind international touring schedule, each track is grounded in place, in people. “Koneko” (Japanese for “kitten”) features Semones and band in duet with her friend Liana Flores, the British-Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist, recorded at the iconic Strongroom Studio in London. “Koneko” is an ode to the two’s relationship and time spent together in the glitzy chaos of London, imbued with a playful sweetness and lyrics in English, Portuguese, and Japanese. “Tooth fairy,” on the other hand, is a bit more mellowed in how it unfolds, encapsulating Semones’ friendship with longtime collaborator John Roseboro and recorded at New York’s Figure 8 Recording. It recounts the two running into each other in Greenpoint after Roseboro happened to lose a tooth on the subway (a classically random New York moment) re-told with a laid-back sense of humor that can only come from years of friendship. Both “Koneko” and “Tooth Fairy” skew higher-energy, technicolor bossa-jazz affairs built out by the full Mei Semones band – Noam Tanzer on bass, Ransom McCafferty on drums, Claudius Agrippa on violin, and Noah Leong on viola – a tight-knit crew of collaborators seemingly reaching the height of their powers. The EP’s final submission, “Kurage” (Japanese for “jellyfish”) is more subdued. Recorded at Solid Sound in Semones’ hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan “Kurage” is a duet with her father, Don Semones, a chemical engineer by day and euphonium player by night. It also marks his first-ever studio recording. It stands out as maybe the most pared-back Semones release yet, but it feels fitting that it’d be the title track – at the core of each maximalist track after all is just Mei and her guitar, and the song they make together. The foundation for Semones’ entire dazzling catalog is built on that contented solitude, a quiet self-confidence in creativity and expression that comes close to weightlessness, like floating.
Tracklisting
1. Koneko (ft. Liana Flores)
2. Tooth Fairy (ft. John Roseboro)
3. Kurage (ft. Don Semones)
Refund Policy
All original product is sealed or brand new condition. However, if an item is defective (sealed and unused) Please send us proof of item and we will be happy to exchange the defective copy for a replacement of the same item within the first week after receiving the return item from you. If a replacement isn't available, we will offer you a store credit or refund (your choice). There will not be a shipping charge for this exchange.
For international returns, any customs or import duties, taxes and all other charges paid on return shipments are the solely your responsibility. In the event you refuse your package, only the purchase price will be refunded. All costs, duties, fees, or taxes are your responsibility and will not be refunded to you.
If items are not delivered because you gave us incorrect information, or because your post office was unable to deliver the package because there was no-one to receive it, We will refund you for the cost of the items only, but not for the postage charges. Provided the items are still available, we can re-send the items at your request one time only and you will have to pay all shipping fees.
Requests for refunds must be made within 30 days of the purchase date. We will not refund after such date for any reason whatsoever.
All items must be in original condition and show no signs of use, and must be returned in original vendor packaging.
We do not provide a refund or replacement for items that have been scanned as delivered by FedEx, Post Office or SF Express. If your package tracks as delivered, but you have not received it, please inquire with your local FedEx, mail carrier or at your local post office branch.
We cannot accept unwanted/incorrect items that have been opened.
Please make sure you pack your return securely. If an item is returned to us in an unsuitable condition due to poor packaging then we may have to send it back to you without a refund.
