Brooklyn singer/songwriter and guitarist Mei Semones releases her Bayonet Records (Beach Fossils) debut EP, Kabutomushi, along with the album’s arrival, Semones shares a new video for the title track. “Kabutomushi,” which translates to “rhinoceros beetle” in English, is named after the horned insect that she would spot and catch in the park when visiting her grandmother in Japan growing up. The title track is a reminiscent ode to those childhood trips – a series of nostalgic vignettes that evolve into a bittersweet apology to her late grandmother.

About the song and video, Semones explains: “‘Kabutomushi’ is a song dedicated to my late grandma. The lyrics are centered around memories of visiting her in Japan when I was little. It means a lot to me that we were able to shoot this video in Tokyo, and the director, Takuto Shimpo, did an amazing job capturing visually what the song means to me. I am so grateful to have worked with him and his team — it was a really long day, but everyone was so patient and dedicated to the process and I think it really shows in the video.”

Semones began playing music at a young age, starting out on piano at age four before moving to electric guitar at age eleven. After playing jazz guitar in high school, she went on to study guitar performance with a jazz focus at Berklee College of Music. College is where she met her current bandmates, including string players Noah Leong and Claudius Agrippa, whose respective viola and violin add softness and multidimensionality to Mei’s intricate guitar work. All of the songs that comprise Kabutomushi are written and sung in both English and Japanese, with Mei wanting to stay connected to her first language through her music.

Mei Semones 2024 Tour Dayes

Mon. Apr. 15 – Brooklyn, NY @ Baby’s All Right (EP Release Show)
Thu. July 25 – Portsmouth, NH @ The Press Room %
Fri. July 26 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall %
Sat. July 27 – Brattleboro, VT @ The Stone Church %
Sun. July 28 – Troy, NY @ No Fun %
Tue. July 30 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground %
Fru. Aug. 2 – St. Louis, MO @ Off Broadway %
Tue. Aug. 6 – Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop %
Wed. Aug. 7 – Columbus, OH @ Ace of Cups %
Thu. Aug. 8 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s %

% w/ Katy Kirby

Order KABUTOMUSHI by Mei Semones HERE