Mei Semones - "Kurayami"
Photo by Lucas Ali
The latest single from Mei Semones starts off exactly like we'd expect a single of hers to start off at this point. "Kurayami" is an absolutely lovely song combining jazz and a singer-songwriter, which is what we've come to love from Semones. But the song suddenly veers into an unexpected rock style while still sounding like it belongs in Semones' body of work. "Kurayami" moves between the styles seamlessly and effortlessly. It's a delightful mixture of jazz and indie rock in a way that only Semones can pull off this well. This may be a standalone single, but it has us thrilled to hear what comes next.
Mei Semones says of her latest single:
“'Kurayami’ means ‘darkness’ in Japanese, and this song is about growing up in Michigan and reminiscing on what it was like hanging out with my friends. Being a kid was really fun and I was happy, but I remember there was a point where we started to lose our innocence and I think this song is about that feeling. It's one of the more technically difficult songs I've written, and it took some practice to get to the point where I could sing and play it at the same time. There's lots of fun tempo changes, odd meters, wide interval arpeggios, and fast licks, and I think the band arrangement is really creative too.”
You can watch the video for "Kurayami" below. The single is available as a 7" on Bayonet Records here. For more on Mei Semones, check out the artist's website.
