Mei Semones ft. John Roseboro – Tooth Fairy

“Tooth Fairy” has one of the more disarming origin stories you’ll hear this week. Mei Semones was on her way to meet John Roseboro at a friend’s bookstore in Greenpoint when they happened to get off the same train on the same platform. Roseboro smiled at her and held out his hand — a tooth had just fallen out. Semones wrote a song about it.

The track is a duet, and the premise earns its warmth. Semones brings in her full band — Noam Tanzer on bass, Ransom McCafferty on drums, Claudius Agrippa on violin, and Noah Leong on viola — building a sound that sits comfortably across jazz, folk and bossa nova without forcing the combination. Semones points to a tune by Brazilian guitarist Guinga as the inspiration for the arpeggiated guitar chords at the track’s centre, and that influence sits lightly but distinctly underneath everything. What catches my ear is how the strings and the vocal interplay stay understated — the song doesn’t push for emotional effect, it just lets the story carry it. It works better for that.

“Tooth Fairy” is the second single from the upcoming EP Kurage, out April 10 on Bayonet Records — we covered lead single “Koneko” ft. Liana Flores in W07, and Semones has been on our radar since “Kurayami” back in W43.