川辺素

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Alice

Moto Kawabe of Mitsume will release his debut solo album, ""Missing"", on July 1.

While continuing his work with Mitsume, Kawabe has been releasing home-recorded demo works intermittently over the years. For this album, he undertook band-format recording for the first time. Drawing inspiration from his experiences working as both a producer and musician on other artists' projects, Kawabe explores new approaches to music-making.

After years of studio recording experience, ""Missing"" marks the first step in an ongoing recording experiment that seeks to bring the creative process back into his own hands. Existing somewhere between studio production and self-recording, the album captures this process in a semi-documentary manner. Featuring nine tracks, including the previously released singles ""Alien Love"" and ""Convex Mirror"", the album brings together a solo project that has gradually taken shape over a long period of time.

Memories of others, cityscapes, and the stillness of late nights. The songs on ""Missing"" quietly portray emotions that shift over time and those fleeting moments that make us pause amid the routines of everyday life.

Closing the album is ""Mature Fruit"", a song that stands as one of the defining moments of the record. Using fruit as a metaphor for relationships and the passage of time, the track gently brings the album to a close. Fragile and ambiguous, yet continuing to roll forward, this sensibility runs throughout the entire work.

Beginning with the swaying delay guitar riffs and sensual vocals of ""Alien Love"", moving through the cityscapes of ""Convex Mirror"", the nocturnal drift of ""Night Escape"", and the layered vocal harmonies of ""Why"", the album gradually transforms in mood and atmosphere. As it unfolds, it explores emotional distance, ambiguous feelings, the exhilaration and loneliness of the night, eventually arriving at ""Late Night Show"", a song that drifts between dreams and reality, before continuing into ""Mature Fruit"".

Sonically, the album is built around Kawabe's voice, with subtle arrangements woven into minimal instrumentation to create a distinct sense of depth and space. His delicate falsetto, layered vocal harmonies, and use of negative space are among the defining elements of the work.

From songwriting and arrangement to the overall direction of the album, every aspect of the project was handled by Kawabe himself. The freedom of his solo practice is evident throughout the record, revealing a personal sensibility and aesthetic distinct from his work with Mitsume.

The album features performances by Satoru Isobe of Tocago and Yusuke Okada of BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON. Mixing was handled by Toshihiko Kasai, with mastering by Kentaro Kimura. Together, they preserve and enhance the delicate textures and lingering atmosphere of Kawabe's musical world.

Missing

"Moto Kawabe's debut solo album will be released on June 17, 2026, with the second advance single "Convex Mirror" arriving on May 27.

Moto Kawabe, best known as a member of the band Mitsume, will release his debut solo album on June 17, 2026. Ahead of the album, the second advance single "Convex Mirror" will be digitally released on May 27.

Following the previous single "Alien Love," the new track carries over the album's intimate atmosphere while introducing a breezier, more open sense of movement.

With a faster tempo than its predecessor, the song blends a refreshing lightness with a faint sense of melancholy, evoking rain-washed streets and scenery drifting past through a convex mirror. Defined by layered performances and wavering textures, the track unfolds smoothly, like gazing down a long slope stretching into the distance.

The recording once again features bass by Satoru Isobe of Tocago and drums by Yusuke Okada of BROTHER SUN SISTER MOON. Built around Kawabe's own base mix and finalized alongside Toshihiko Kasai, the track's mix/mastering balances rawness with spaciousness, hinting at new landscapes within the upcoming album.

Convex Mirror

Moto Kawabe, best known as the vocalist and guitarist of the band Mitsume, has announced his debut solo album, set for release on June 17, 2026.
Ahead of the album, the first advance single, "Alien Love," will be released digitally on May 6.
Following his work with Mitsume, Kawabe's solo project marks a shift toward a more personal mode of expression. "Alien Love" offers a glimpse into the album's atmosphere and themes.
The song explores the quiet distance that can emerge within a relationship - unspoken feelings, missed timing, and the gradual changes that occur almost unnoticed. It gently captures small moments of unease and reflection that can be easily lost in everyday life, allowing listeners to connect their own memories and emotions to the music.
Built on a minimal arrangement of guitar, bass, and drums, the track is driven by a distinctive guitar riff that lingers in the ear. As the song unfolds, defined phrases and more fluid, wavering textures move back and forth, creating a natural sense of dynamic flow and shifting emotional warmth. While retaining elements of Kawabe's signature sound, the track introduces a subtle new sense of depth and sensuality.
With Kawabe's characteristically calm and intimate vocal tone, the song avoids overt emotional expression, instead leaving space for interpretation. Within its soft resonance, a quiet sense of longing emerges - allowing emotions that shift over time to surface gently.
The mix is based on Kawabe's own foundation, with final mixing and mastering completed in collaboration with Toshihiko Kasai. The result balances intimacy and depth, hinting at a new phase in Kawabe's solo work.
Serving as an entry point to the album, the track lingers quietly, resonating with each listener's personal memories and emotions.

Alien Love

PARKGOLF

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This track is a collaborative work by Rachel, Moto Kawabe, and PARKGOLF, created through studio sessions as its starting point. Rather than defining a finished vision in advance, the song took shape through real-time interaction, exchanging sounds in the moment-an approach that gives the track its organic sense of fluctuation and breath.

Centered around Rachel's soft, floating vocal presence, Moto Kawabe contributes guitar and vocals, layering melodies and words that carry the tactile feel of everyday life. PARKGOLF's production brings both lightness and depth, seamlessly tying together the distinct qualities of the three artists.

The lyrics reflect elusive emotions and subtle dissonances of daily life, as heard in phrases like "an empty heart" and "something as simple as going back the way I came isn't easy," while the line "let's take it slow" resonates as a quiet affirmation.

Carefully assembled from fragments born out of improvisational exchange, the track embraces a minimalist yet richly textured sound, gently capturing fleeting moments and emotions from ordinary life.

noodles without fillings

Summer Eye

"Mitsume's Moto Kawabe and Summer Eye, the solo project of Tomoyuki Natsume (formerly of Siamese Cats), will release a Christmas-themed split single on December 10. KawabeSs ""Silent Night"" layers minimal drum programming with gently swaying guitar and synth textures, allowing his intimate vocal delivery to illuminate the quiet and faint glow of winter nights. The sparse arrangement highlights subtle moments of solitude and small, lingering warmth-Kawabe's signature, understated sound.

In contrast, Summer Eye's ""Ekimae""(means ""in front of the station"") unfolds with light, warm-toned beats and soft synths, capturing fleeting sensations on a late-December street corner and the unspoken feelings that hover between two people. His voice begins in a whisper-like closeness before opening up in the refrain, naturally evoking the bustle and small comforts of a winter city evening.

Though both tracks embrace minimal arrangements, each artist's distinct sensibility stands out vividly, sealing into one record a winter tale where stillness meets warmth, and solitude meets hope. A split release carrying just the right emotional temperature for the holiday season. Available as a limited 7-inch vinyl and on digital platforms simultaneously."

Silent Night / Ekimae

yeye

No Longer

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Alice

Song List

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